Torture Tutoring
by OnlyHim
Summary: Completely AU. Jack needs Welsh lessons. Ianto is his tutor. Their relationship isn't limited to that, but there's no telling if that's a good or a bad thing. It gets a bit heavy halfway through. Rated for adult themes. Read warning inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning: Rated M for adult themes, trigger warning for abuse.**

This story is already complete, I just have to finish editing it. It's about 39k words. I'll try to post a chapter every day, but I don't know how many chapters there will be, as I've not separated them yet. I will post the whole thing in a timely manner. Thanks for reading!

* * *

Okay, that conversation had not gone how he'd expected. First of all, he had no idea some of his clients were this bothered with him. '_Who does this bloody American think he is, coming here with his arrogance and smugness that he dares call charm, trying to take over, thinking he can tell _us_what's best for _our _National Sites. I don't want any dealings with him any more,' _one of the clients had said, and apparently there were a few others who had the same opinions, just presented with different words.

Second, and worst, of all, he would not expect his boss to think that _this _would be a good solution. Apparently he thought this would make him fit in better, help the clients see him as one of their own, and therefore accept him. He'd always hated studying, and now he had to go back to school. To learn Welsh. So ridiculous. So useless. Such a waste of time. But the 'Boss' had made it quite clear that Jack was to do exactly that, or they might have to reconsider his moving here, which would mean moving back home, something he really didn't want to consider. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Jack had moved to Cardiff from Illinois a year before. His company needed an agent to deal with the clients, to oversee the renovation work (he was responsible for recuperating heritage sites, which would obviously make the clients more annoyed that it was being handled by a non-native), and he seemed like the right guy for the job. So much so, that the company was willing to help him with the whole process of moving, helping with expenses, offering him a house, and all the support he might need. Considering that at that point he wasn't particularly pleased with his life back home (a huge understatement, in fact), a move overseas felt like just what he needed. Which made the conversation he'd just had with his boss all the more unexpected (and worrisome).

After brooding about it a whole night, over a few too many pints and shots of whisky, he finally accepted that there was nothing he could do, and he'd better get a move on, so he could get it over with as soon as possible. At least the company was going to pay for the lessons (for the first few months at least, but the offer could be withdrawn at any time if he didn't show any improvement), and they'd suggested a private tutor, which would most likely help him learn faster. So the next morning he asked his assistant to find him private Welsh tutors in Cardiff, and give him a list of names and as much information on them as she could gather.

When he came back from lunch, his assistant told him she had sent a list to him, with the links for the ones who had websites. Jack sat in his office, thinking, with a very deep sigh, that there was no point in postponing it. So he started looking at the list. The third one he saw caught his attention. He was not the only one to put a picture of himself on the website, but he was the only one to actually make an impression with said picture. He was wearing an impeccable suit, the face of professionalism, inspiring confidence and trust. Of course, that would be what Jack would say to anyone who asked why he'd chosen him. The real reason would be kept to himself. _'Hm, he's cute.' _he thought, looking at the picture of the tutor on his website. _'Good qualifications, impressive reviews, and his looks might actually make this whole fiasco quite enjoyable.' _He decided not to bother his assistant, and made the call himself. Just because he thought it'd be easier, not because he wanted to hear the man's voice or anything. Five minutes later he was hanging up the phone, with an appointment for the next Saturday, and the lilt of beautiful Welsh vowels still flowing in his ears. _'Quite enjoyable indeed.'_

xXxXx

Saturday morning found Jack actually tidying his house, so he could receive his tutor, and hopefully make a good impression. It was almost ten, and he'd be there any moment. He could hardly wait. _'Oh, this is going to be good.' _

'Hi, you must be Ianto Jones."

"Yep. Jack Harkness, I presume?"

"That's me." He said, offering his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You, too." Ianto took the offered hand, and stood by the door. After a short while, Jack moved sideways.

"Please come in." Jack gestured towards the living room. "I cleaned up this table for us. Will that work?"

"Yes, it's perfect."

"Please, take a seat." Jack said while sitting. "So, how does this work?"

"As far as I understood, you've never studied Welsh before, is that correct?"

"Yeah, I only know the few odd words."

"Okay, then we'll start from the basics. Simple conversation, useful words, basic grammar. When you get comfortable with that, we'll move on to more complicated things."

"Great, sounds good."

Ianto started rummaging through his bag, and produced a thin stack of papers. He put them in front of Jack, and started explaining what they were. Jack would love to know what he was saying, but he couldn't, because he'd already gotten lost, distracted by Ianto's delicate features, his rosy lips, sharp cheekbones, pale skin, delicious accent. All Jack could think about was what it would be like to kiss those lips, feel that skin, smell that hair. And then he realised that Ianto had stopped speaking and was staring at him. He snapped out of his trance and finally looked down at the papers in front of him. He noticed they were filled with simple phrases and dialogues, a few translated into English, others not. He tried to catch up, but he really had no idea what Ianto wanted him to do, so he looked up and just stared back. Ianto sighed (although to his credit he tried to hide it), and started explaining everything again. '_God, he must think I'm an idiot.'_ Jack tried to pay extra attention this time. It wouldn't do if the tutor gave up on him on the very first class.

He quickly realised that Welsh was a very complicated language, with way too many consonants (well, at least he thought they were all consonants. Turns out there were actually a few extra vowels), and structures that didn't make any sense. Or maybe he just wasn't trying hard enough. So he tried to pay extra, extra attention. Ianto was very patient, he had to give him that. If Jack didn't understand something, he had no problem repeating it as many times as necessary. He was very stoic, too, and almost overly polite. Jack was torn between being put off by that, or even more interested, wondering what it would take to break his contrived exterior. And that thought distracted him again, and he was brought out of his reverie by Ianto clearing his throat.

"Sorry, it's just a lot to take in at once."

"No problem, it's normal to be a little overwhelmed when you've just started. Take it slow, you'll get there."

"I have no problem taking it slow, if that's what you want me to do." Jack said leaning forward, leering at Ianto, voice full of innuendo. Ianto blushed slightly and sat even straighter in his chair, if that was possible. He coughed, and tried to bring Jack's attention back to the papers. Jack looked back down, grinning. He'd have a lot of fun with this, trying to figure out a way to make the younger man yield to his advances. He'd always liked a challenge. It took another cough from Ianto to remind Jack that that wasn't the primary reason for him being there. To be honest, Jack was actually surprised with how easy it was to flirt again. He hadn't behaved like this in a while, and he was quite intrigued to realise that Ianto made him forget, if only for a moment, why he'd stopped in the first place.

The rest of the lesson went okay, Jack thought. Of course he couldn't help derailing the focus of the lesson every now and then with his exuberant tales, trying to impress Ianto. Jack couldn't tell if it was working or not, because the other man wouldn't show any reaction whatsoever. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking. By the end of the lesson, Jack had gotten quite frustrated, noticing how hard it would be to accomplish what his boss expected of him. Ianto was very understanding of that, telling Jack that it was normal to get overwhelmed at first, but he would get the hang of it eventually. He followed by saying that Jack had potential, and he could see him learning what he needed in no time. Which made Jack feel pretty good about himself. All in all, when the lesson ended, Jack was satisfied. Every thing seemed to have run smoothly, and he felt hopeful. About his progress, but most of all, of getting into Ianto's good graces. It seemed like Jack had made a good first impression – the other man certainly had – and Jack was looking forward to the next Saturday.

xXxXx

"God, Tosh, he's insufferable!" Ianto moaned. He'd gone to Tosh's right after the lesson, for their usual Saturday lunch.

"Oh, come on, Ianto, it can't have been that bad." Tosh tried soothing him.

"No, it wasn't. It was worse. A lot worse." He finished downing his beer, and reached for another. He was practically fuming.

"What was so bad about him?"

"He's just so arrogant. Thinks he's better than everybody else. Always acting so smug, as if he's out there to save the world, expecting people to worship him, as if he's the only one who knows what's best for everyone." He blurted out. "But apparently he can't see that he's thick as a brick. He had the worst difficulties in grasping even the most simple concepts, almost as if he was trying my patience on purpose. I think that was one of the few times when my speech of 'you have potential and things will get better eventually' felt like an outright lie."

"Wow, Ianto, tell me what you really think." Tosh replied sarcastically.

He didn't even hear her. "And the flirting! My god, the flirting. Every second sentence had to carry some sort of innuendo, and he kept flashing that grin of his, thinking that he could charm his way out of everything. As if making me fall for his charms would make him learn any faster. Or at all, for that matter."

"Well, you can always stop teaching him..."

"No, Tosh, I can't." He flopped down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands, sighing deeply. "It's a company contract, which means I get paid double what I usually charge. And I'm already behind on the rent. I really need the money. Not only I can't quit, I have to be extremely nice to him to make sure _he _doesn't quit."

"Oh, honey. I'm sorry it's so bad." Tosh sat beside him, sliding her arm around his shoulders, hugging him tight. "At least you'll always have me afterwards to vent. And we can drown all the frustration with a few beers and a couple of films." She gave him a comforting smile.

"Thanks, Tosh. That's a consolation." He smiled weakly. "I just wish I could have that without having to pay penance for two hours before coming here."


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for all the alerts! They make me really happy! I just hope you all like what's coming.

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During the next weeks, the process repeated itself. Jack flirted, got distracted, annoyed Ianto to no end, and Ianto just did his best to remain professional. Jack was still completely oblivious to how Ianto felt, and in fact seemed to get bolder and bolder as the weeks went by. Apparently Ianto's 'acquiescence' seemed to show Jack that it was okay to keep behaving like that, and Ianto felt like there was nothing he could do. It's not like he could be too stern or anything with the man, he was so scared Jack might not want him as a tutor any more if he couldn't have his fun. It did make Ianto feel a little cheap, but his money problems really didn't give him much option. It was his weekly torture session that he just had to endure. Apparently, to Jack, it was the exact opposite.

xXxXx

Ianto woke up to the sound of the alarm on his phone. It took him a while to get his bearings, but once he did, he immediately groaned. It was Saturday. Again. And he was not looking forward to spending two hours with Jack Harkness. He was already in a very bad mood because he hadn't slept well (apparently his neighbours thought it completely appropriate to have a party with loud music until four in the morning). He took a very, very deep breath, and got up, to get ready for what would probably be a very miserable morning. At least he had lunch with Tosh to look forward to. She never failed to make him feel better, no matter how much Jack had pissed him off before. He sighed again. Already three months had gone by, and their tutor-student relationship hadn't got any better. If anything, it was a lot worse. Ianto's patience was starting to wear thin, and he wondered when he would finally snap, regardless of how important this job was to him. That's when his phone rang, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, hey, Tosh, how's it going?" He smiled into the phone.

"Oh, hi, Ianto. Everything's fine. Well, sort of."

"Why, what's up?"

"I'm afraid I have to cancel our lunch today. Something came up at work and I'll have to go in to the office. I'm really sorry."

"No, it's completely fine, don't worry about it." He tried to suppress the groan that wanted to leave his throat. She obviously didn't need him being mad at her.

"Are you sure? Well, I'll make it up to you, I promise." She sounded really worried.

"No, Tosh, don't worry, it's really okay. Just do what you have to do and don't worry about me." He tried to smile, tried to sound reassuring. He really didn't want her to know how much his heart had sunk at the prospect of losing the one good thing about that day.

"Okay, if you're sure. Well, I have to go. Take care of yourself today. And good luck with Jack."

"Thanks, Tosh, I'll probably need it. I hope you have a nice day, considering."

"Thanks, Ianto. Talk to you soon. Bye."

"Bye, Tosh." He hung up, and sighed, really, really deeply. If his mood had been bad, now it had plummeted. He wished he could just go back to bed and sleep the whole day. But he really couldn't. He took another deep breath and went into the bathroom to shower, praying to whoever was listening that the morning would be over soon.

xXxXx

He got to Jack's house and tried really hard to put his usual mask into place. Today this task was particularly hard, but he knew that no matter how he felt about Jack, he still had to be professional.

Jack was being his usual self. Arrogant, flirtatious, obnoxious, childish, and plain annoying. Ianto was doing all he could to keep calm and professional, but he knew that he wouldn't last much longer. The third time Jack tried to assault him with his million-watt grin and reached to touch his arm (as he usually did. It's amazing how tactile – and inappropriate – this man could be), Ianto couldn't help but close his eyes with a sigh and recoil. When he opened his eyes again, he saw that Jack had moved back, and was staring at him, with a quizzical look on his face, flirtatious grin completely gone. _Shit. So much for being professional._

Jack was slightly shocked. It had never occurred to him that Ianto might be bothered by his advances. He'd always assumed that the cold exterior was something to be broken, not respected. He assumed this was who Ianto was, someone who needed some help being persuaded to show his emotions. It had never occurred to Jack that it was actually protection. Against him, no less. He felt terrible now. Sure, he was an inveterate flirt, but he'd always prided himself in his ability to read people, and know when his efforts were unwelcome. He enjoyed flirting as much as he enjoyed breathing, but it was only fun if the other person was into it, too. He would never force himself on anyone, and he felt terrible now that he might be doing that to Ianto. He wondered why it had taken him so long to notice this. He realised that his own (very intense) interest in the young man had made him blind.

"Ianto, do I... Do I make you uncomfortable?" He asked, really scared of the answer.

Ianto just closed his eyes again, not knowing what to say. He couldn't possibly say that to Jack, that he did, but he couldn't lie either.

"Ianto?..."

He looked up into Jack's eyes, still unable to say anything.

"Never mind, you've already answered." Jack let out a deep sigh. "I don't even know what to say. I'm really sorry." Jack looked incredibly guilty. "It was terrible of me to put you in this position, but... if it bothered you so much, why didn't you say something? Or why didn't you leave?"

Ianto was deeply embarrassed, and he wanted nothing more than a hole to open up on the ground and swallow him whole. "I... I... really need this job. I was afraid that if I were honest with you, I'd put you off, and you'd want to stop having these lessons. It's not as if they've been particularly easy for you." Ianto was looking down, unable to look Jack in the eyes.

Jack felt even guiltier, if that was possible. He realised all of a sudden what this man had been going through all these months, and he felt horrible. What he'd been doing had been nothing short of harassment. He'd never thought _he, _of all people, would ever be on the giving end of such abuse.

"Ianto, I'm so embarrassed. I can't apologise to you enough. I should have realised sooner. I'm so sorry I put you in this position."

Now it was Ianto's turn to feel guilty. He was completely stunned to see how Jack was behaving at the moment. He'd never expected him to actually care about how he felt. He felt ridiculous for not saying anything sooner, or even for being so bothered in the first place. He felt like an over dramatic child. And he started to wonder if maybe he had been reading the man wrong.

Ianto was silent for a really long time, and Jack took it to mean that he was still uncomfortable. He needed to do something about it.

"How about I try and make it up to you? How about you stay here for lunch today, I'll cook something for you and show you that I'm entirely capable of behaving like a respectful human being. Like you deserve."

"No, Jack, really, that's not necessary."

"Well, I obviously don't want to force you into anything. Again," he looked incredibly guilty again. "But it would make me feel a lot better if I were able to show you that you can be comfortable around me. I don't want this job to be a nightmare to you."

Ianto thought for a while. He was still very unsure about spending time with Jack, but he seemed to be trying so hard to redeem himself, that it seemed only fair to give him a chance. And Tosh had cancelled their plans anyway, it's not like he had something better to do.

"Sure, Jack. I'll stay." He tried to smile, hoping that it didn't look too much like a grimace. He cleared his throat. "We should get back to the lesson now."

"You know what, never mind the rest of the lesson. Today is on me. Just relax, while I get you something to drink."

"Jack, you really don't have to do this."

"Ianto, I insist. It's the least I can do. Now, would you like some beer?"

Ianto sighed. There was no point arguing with the man. He just hoped he wasn't making a big mistake. "Yeah, that would be nice." He replied, still a bit wary, but smiling anyway.

"Great, I'll get one for you. Make yourself at home." And with that he was gone, leaving behind only the vestiges of a dazzling smile. Although, Ianto could tell, there was something different about that smile now. There was no leer, just an honest to God kind smile.


	3. Chapter 3

After a while of extreme confusion, during which Ianto was trying to get his bearings and understand what the hell had just happened, he finally decided to get up and take a look around the living room where the table they used was. He'd never looked around before, making a point of focusing on his lesson and the lesson alone. But now he felt too nervous to stay still, so he thought he could take Jack's word, and decided it was okay to look around.

Now that he took the time to notice his surroundings, he realised that they were quite sparse. Jack was clearly not one for knick-knacks, there wasn't a single piece of decoration around, aside from one picture on the table beside the sofa. It looked like a family picture, the parents and two boys. An older one, that looked like Jack, probably mid-teens, and the other probably around nine or so. The sofa looked very comfortable, and in front of it was a very large wide-screen telly. There was just one bookcase, with very few books and a lot of DVDs and the rest was just blank walls, painted in some sort of egg-shell white.

Suddenly Ianto started to feel quite uncomfortable about being alone there looking over Jack's things, and he decided to follow the other man into the kitchen. He found Jack still rummaging through the fridge, and he looked up as soon as Ianto appeared at the door.

"Oh, sorry it was taking me so long, I got distracted trying to figure out what I could make you for lunch." He hid his head inside the fridge for another moment, and came back right after, offering Ianto a bottle of beer. "Here you go."

"Thank you. And seriously Jack, you don't have to go through so much trouble-" Ianto was still feeling very uncomfortable. There was really no need for Jack to do all that, and the more trouble the other man went through for him, the more embarrassed Ianto felt.

"It's okay, Ianto, I really want to do this." Jack quickly interrupted the other man. "Plus, I've already found what I need. Is spag bol okay?"

"Sure, Jack, it's fine." Ianto gave a resigned sigh.

"Great! And since you're here, take a sit. We can talk while I cook." And with that he gave another surprisingly kind and warm smile.

Ianto sat down at the table, and took a long sip of his beer. He had no idea what he could possibly talk to this man about, so he decided to stall for as long as he could. He was just humouring him anyway, which meant he had no idea how this whole thing was supposed to go. He'd soon find out that this line of thought was completely irrelevant, because apparently Jack knew exactly what he was doing. He soon closed the fridge carrying everything he might need, and with an air of extreme confidence (that Ianto now realised he used to call arrogance), started carrying the conversation while rummaging through the cupboards, getting the rest of the things. He seemed to do it all with extreme ease, as if he couldn't be more comfortable. Ianto had to admire that. He always felt terribly tense around strangers (which they basically were to each other, even though they'd known each other for three months now), only starting to relax after he'd known the person for a long while.

"So tell me, Ianto, what made you decide to take the role of a Welsh tutor?"

"I didn't, really. I mean, I did, but only because I didn't have another choice. See, my tad died when I was in Uni, and he was the sole provider of our house – my mam is a housewife. She's fine, he had a pension plan. But that wasn't enough to cover my expenses, let alone pay for tuition. So I had to drop out and get a job. I wanted to be a professor – I was studying British Literature and History – and teaching Welsh seemed like the best thing I could do that would still hold some semblance to my original dream. It was this or getting a job in a tourist office." Ianto said with a self-deprecating small laugh. "But turns out there's not enough demand for Welsh tutoring, so I can barely make enough to get by. Going back to Uni at this point is completely out of question." He stopped suddenly to take a breath and realised he'd told Jack a lot more than he ever intended. He also realised that Jack had abandoned everything he was doing and had turned to him, looking at him closely, paying attention to every single word that came out of his mouth. Ianto felt that no one had ever looked at him that closely before – not even Tosh. He was torn between feeling self-conscious and tremendously flattered.

"Ever thought of getting another job?" Jack finally asked, after looking at Ianto thoughtfully for a really long time.

"Yeah, many times. This is going to sound really silly, but I feel that if I get another job I'll be giving up on my dream completely. Which makes me kind of stuck at the moment. If I keep doing what I'm doing I'll never be able to go back to Uni, but if I get another job I won't have time to go back, and I'll be doing something I'm not passionate about... it would feel like I'm surrendering, like I gave up the fight... and I... I want to make my mam and tad proud." He had a defeated tone in his voice. He looked down for a while, and after a long time let out a sigh and said under his breath. "I don't think I'm doing a very good job at that." _God, why was he telling him all this? How could he feel so open and comfortable all of a sudden? Five minutes ago he despised the man, and now he felt like he could trust him with everything. How had that happened? No one had ever had this power over him... _He kept looking down, but he could see that Jack had started to reach out to his hand, as if he wanted to hold it, but stopped himself midway and pulled back. Ianto looked up and saw Jack still looking intently at him, with a look on his face that Ianto couldn't quite place. He was surprised, though, to see that it wasn't a look of pity, that is the first thing he would've expected after everything he'd told him. After all, he was nothing but someone deserving of pity, considering he'd basically failed everyone.

"I think your tad would be very proud of you for not giving up on your dream." Jack finally said, after what seemed like an eternity. "It takes courage to stick to a life style that is not ideal in favour of doing something you love... That doesn't mean there's not another option, though."

"Well, I can tell you that I've thought long and hard about that for a really long time, and I was never able to figure out an alternative."

"Hm, I don't know, I wouldn't admit defeat just yet. I don't think you're as stuck as you think you are." Jack said with an enigmatic smile. But before Ianto had a chance to say anything, he followed up with another question. "So, is it only you then? No brothers or sisters?"

"No, I have an older sister. But she was already married with a kid on the way when my tad died. It didn't affect her as much as it did me. Well, not financially, anyway."

"What's she like? Are you guys close?" Jack asked, effectively changing the subject.

"We don't talk as much as we'd like, you know, she's very busy with the kids and all – she has two now, a boy and a girl – but we're good friends. I know she'll be there for me if I need her, and vice-versa. She's a nice person. I think she's happy with her family life, she loves her kids and I don't think she minds devoting her time to them. At least I hope so..." He stopped for a while, with a thoughtful look on his face. "I really want her to be happy..." As if on cue, Ianto's mobile started ringing. "Speak of the devil."

"Hey, Rhi." There was a pause as he listened to the person on the other side. "Hm, no, not really." He looked at Jack apologetically. "What's up?" Another pause, longer this time. "Oh, is he going to be okay?" Ianto sounded worried now, and Jack looked at him, expectantly. "Yeah, of course. I'll be there as soon as I can." He turned off the phone, looking at Jack even more apologetically.

"I'm really sorry, Jack, but I have to go. My sister's at the hospital with my nephew, he's broken his arm, and she needs me to go there to look after her youngest until her husband can get there. He'll take a while, he was visiting family up north, and I can't leave her alone that long. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay, don't worry about it. Where are they?"

"St David's."

"Did you drive here?"

"No, I took the bus."

"Okay, let's go, then, I'll give you a lift."

"What? No! Really, Jack, that's really not necessary. I feel bad enough for ruining your lunch."

"Ianto, stop arguing with me. It's gonna take forever for you to get there by bus. Plus you might need help there. I'm taking you, end of story." He hurriedly put everything away again, found his car keys, and was rushing to the door, while Ianto was still looking at him, dumbfounded. "Come on, don't stand there all day. Your sister is waiting."

Ianto blinked a few times, trying to shake the shock away, and then followed Jack out the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, thank you for the alerts and reviews. They're all very much appreciated!

Longer chapter this time, because I thought it wouldn't make sense to split it in the middle. Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Ten minutes later they were at the hospital, looking for the right corridor where Rhiannon was supposed to be. Ianto still couldn't believe that Jack had not only insisted on driving him there, but on getting inside, to see if he could be of any help. Ianto felt as if he was in a parallel universe or something, where everything was the opposite of what it should be. Either way, he could see Rhiannon and Mica now, and there were other things he should be focusing on.

"Hey, Rhi." He said while giving her a tight hug. "How's David doing?"

"He's okay. They gave him some painkillers, but he still has to wait a few hours for the surgery. I'd really like to stay in the room with him, even if he's a bit out of it, in case he needs me. So can you keep an eye on Mica? Johnny will take a few hours to get here, he was visiting his mam and it's a long train ride down."

"Yeah, of course, it's no problem at all."

"I'm sorry to disturb you from whatever you were doing..." She said, finally looking at Jack, with clear interest in her voice.

"Oh, right," Ianto coughed, embarrassed. "Jack is a student of mine, I was at his house when you rang and he offered me a lift."

"Hi, Jack Harkness. It's nice to meet you, although I'd rather it be in better circumstances." He said with his characteristic smile, but keeping the flirting tone out of his voice, which impressed Ianto even further. Definitely a parallel universe, he thought.

"Oh, hi, Jack." Rhiannon said blushing, almost drooling all over the man. Ianto couldn't help but roll his eyes. Did other people really fall for his charms? Even when he wasn't bathing them in them? "I'm Rhiannon Davies. I'm sorry to have bothered you."

"No bother at all. I'm just glad I could help." He smiled again, politely. He then turned his attention to the little girl, whom even Ianto had neglected to acknowledge, and who looked extremely bored. "Hey, little one. What's your name?" He asked squatting down to look her in the eye.

"I'm Mica." She said shyly.

"Oh, such a beautiful name for such a beautiful lady. Now, would you like to play a game? That is, if your mom doesn't mind..." He said, looking up at Rhiannon, who stood there looking at him, wide eyed. "I'm not taking her far, we'll just be in those sofas over there. You can keep an eye on us at all times." He said to Rhiannon.

"Can I go, mam? Please?" Mica pleaded.

Rhiannon looked at Ianto, the question if she could trust that man in her eyes. Ianto just nodded, even if he wasn't sure why he was doing that.

"Sure, Mica. But stay where me or uncle Ianto can see you."

"Thanks, mam!" The girl hugged her mam's leg, and turned to the man, who was getting up and offering his hand down to her."

"Take your time with your sister, Ianto. We'll be fine." Jack said, turning towards the sofas. As soon as they sat down, Ianto saw Jack pull out from his pockets a deck of cards, and start explaining something to Mica, with extreme patience and kindness. Ianto didn't know what impressed him more, Jack's demeanour, or the fact that he had no idea when he'd gotten the deck of cards in the first place. He turned back to Rhiannon, trying to shake his amazement away. He found Rhiannon staring at him, thousands of questions in her eyes.

"So, who is he, really?" She said, clearly implying that she thought something was going on between them.

"He really is just a student. He's just being really nice." He assured her. "Although I have no idea why..." He added under his breath.

"He's gorgeous, though, isn't he?"

"I suppose..." Ianto turned to look at Jack, and noticed, for the first time, that he indeed had this striking beauty. He wondered why he'd never noticed before, but it was probably because he'd been so bothered by the man.

"And maybe you'd like for him to be more than just a student?"

"Oh, Rhi, don't be daft. You know I'd never do that. Especially with him, who has a contract which I absolutely cannot lose."

"Well, I understand you not wanting to do anything with your other students, they're mostly kids, but Jack? And about the contract, what does one thing have to do with the other?"

"Well, if things didn't go well I'd lose it. And I can't. Why am I even arguing about this? This whole conversation is moot, I'm not interested in him that way."

"How can you not be? A piece of furniture would be attracted to him."

Ianto just sighed and rolled his eyes again.

"Anyway, I should go inside and see if David needs anything. Keep an eye on Mica, okay?" Rhiannon said getting up from the chair where she'd been sitting.

"Yeah, sure." He responded, feeling extremely annoyed, although he couldn't quite say why. He turned to look at Jack, and was surprised to see that he and Mica seemed to be having a great time together. They were laughing, Mica looked completely comfortable, and it seemed like she hadn't even noticed that her mam wasn't around any more. Ianto almost felt bad to have to disturb them, but he really should let Jack go home. He reluctantly got up and walked towards them, wishing he could keep watching them, considering they sure made a beautiful sight.

"Hey."

"Oh, hey. How are things with David?"

"Um, I'm not sure, Rhi just went inside to check on him. You two seem to be having fun."

"That's because we are, aren't we Mica?"

"Yeah, Jack teached me a great game." She said with a huge smile, concentrating immensely on the cards before her, apparently planning her next play.

"Jack, I really can't thank you enough for everything you're doing." Ianto said, looking intently at Jack's eyes, trying to bring his attention to him.

"It really is my pleasure, Ianto." Jack looked at him, with a twinkle in his eyes, the kind you have when you've been laughing too much.

"But you should go home now. I've already taken up way too much of your time. Rhi is probably gonna stay with David now, and I can look after Mica."

"But what about the surgery? Your sister is surely going to be worried, she's going to need support. What if your brother-in-law is not here yet by then?"

"It's okay, Jack, we can handle it. You've already done so much, I couldn't possibly expect more of you. Seriously, please, go home. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday."

"Who says I'm not enjoying myself here? Mica is great company. I'll say this one more time today. Stop arguing with me. I'm staying put."

"Fine. It's clearly no use arguing anyway." Ianto gave a resigned sigh. "I think I need something to drink, can I get you anything?"

"I'll go. Your sister might come out and need you. What can I get you?"

"Just some tea would be nice."

"Tea it is. I'll be right back."

"Thank you, Jack." Ianto watched Jack as he walked away, until he couldn't see him anymore. _Is this really the same man I've been tutoring these past few months? The one that's made my Saturdays feel like pure torture? How could I have misjudged him so much?_

"Uncle Ianto, are you going to play? It's your turn." Mica said pulling him out of his reverie.

"Yeah, sure. You just have to teach me. Can you do that?"

Jack came back about fifteen minutes later, with drinks for everyone. Ianto went inside the room to give Rhiannon her tea, and when he came back he noticed that even thought Mica still seemed to be having fun, she was starting to get fussy and looking tired.

"Hey, Mica, why don't you come lie down here while I tell you a story?" Ianto said to her.

"Yay, I love stories." She jumped from where she was sitting, and lay beside her uncle, resting her head in his lap.

"I know a good story." Jack said, surprising Ianto. "Do you mind if I tell it to her?"

"No, go ahead."

Jack changed sits in the sofa, so he'd be closer to Mica to make it easier for her to hear his soft tones, but making sure that he'd wouldn't be touching Ianto in any way. He had to sit really close to the edge of the sofa to guarantee that. Ianto didn't fail to notice his concern, and once more was surprised by the change he was seeing in the man.

It didn't take long for Mica to fall asleep, and Jack stopped telling the story. They sat there silently for a while, lost in their own thoughts, until Ianto finally broke the silence.

"You're very good with kids."

Jack gave a soft laugh. "I have a little brother. I helped my mom take care of him when he was little, a lot. I guess it just became natural."

Ianto didn't reply immediately, and he had this thoughtful look on his face.

"I guess I'm not as much of an insensitive jerk as you thought I was." Jack finally said, with a self-deprecating half smile.

"No, Jack, that's not what I meant," Ianto hastily replied. "In fact I'm quite-"

He never finished the sentence, because Rhiannon came out of the room David was in at that moment.

"They're taking him to surgery now. It's supposed to take a few hours." She said, looking exhausted, and taking a while to notice her surroundings. She finally noticed that Mica was asleep in Ianto's lap. "Oh, I was gonna say that I wanted to take her for a walk..."

"Why don't you sit here and relax for a while, Rhi. You look tired." Ianto said.

"Yeah, take a sit, and maybe I could go get us all something to eat?" Jack quickly added. Ianto then realised they had left Jack's house before he could finish making lunch, they hadn't eaten anything since, and it was now mid-afternoon. He noticed he was starving. He hadn't realised how worried he was with the whole situation, and his sister, that he didn't even notice that before.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea." Rhiannon complied, her eyes barely focusing.

"Okay, I'll be right back." And with that, Jack left the siblings to talk in private.

Rhiannon sat where Jack had been previously, but sitting closer, so she could run her fingers through Mica's hair.

"How are you holding up?" Ianto asked.

"Okay, I guess." She replied, still holding that vacant look in her eyes. "I'm a bit worried, though. I know it's supposed to be a simple surgery, but you know, something can always go wrong."

"He's gonna be fine, Rhi, I'm sure of it. Just try to rest for a while, yeah?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. It's just a bit hard to relax in these kind of situations, you know?"

"Yeah, I know." Ianto replied with a sigh. "When is Johnny supposed to get here?" He asked, thinking that her husband would be able to support her in a way that he never could.

"In a couple of hours. When he left it seemed like a good idea to leave the car with me, but now it's just taking him a lot longer to get here."

"I'm staying until he gets here, okay?" He said, placing his hand on her knee, trying to be reassuring. "You won't be alone."

"Thanks, Ianto. I really appreciate you being here." She replied, tired but grateful eyes meeting his. "Jack should go, though. He's already done more than enough."

"I've tried getting him to leave, he just won't budge. Says we might need more help at some point. I'm feeling incredibly guilty about it, but he just refuses to listen."

"He seems like a very special man."

"Yeah, I suppose he is..." He said, a strange look on his face, which Rhiannon noticed.

"What is it?"

"Um, it's nothing." Ianto shook his head, not really wanting to talk about it, not that he knew what _it _even was.

Rhiannon looked at him more intently, with her 'I'm not buying it' look.

"It's just... I don't know... I kind of..." He just couldn't finish his sentence.

"Ianto." She said in a strong voice. "Just say it already."

Ianto sighed deeply. "I-" But he couldn't finish because Jack came back right then, carrying a few bags.

Jack came back with a wide selection of sandwiches and crisps, and let Ianto and Rhiannon choose what they'd like. When everyone was done, he collected all the rubbish and threw it away before any of the others even realised what was happening. Ianto once again noticed how thoughtful Jack was being, and felt a pang in his heart.

Jack came back and started talking to them, once again making conversation easy. He was very effective in distracting Rhiannon and making her relax, and for that Ianto was truly grateful.

Soon Ianto got lost in his own thoughts. He was thoroughly impressed by Jack. He'd spent so many months saying incredibly mean things about the man, and now he realised he couldn't have been more wrong. He felt awful about it. Even worse, because Jack now knew exactly what Ianto had been thinking. That comment Jack made about not being an insensitive jerk got to Ianto, because that's exactly what he used to think. That and a lot worse.

The guilt was overwhelming him. He thought himself to be a very fair man, but to Jack he'd been anything but. And now Jack was being amazingly selfless, taking care of his family for absolutely no reason but the kindness in his heart. It wasn't even because he wanted to get into Ianto's pants, because he'd clearly understood the message earlier, and was now giving Ianto all his space, without lending him even the slightest innuendo. And that just made Ianto remember how he'd reacted earlier, recoiling his hand when Jack tried to touch him. Almost as if he was repulsed. Hell, that's exactly what he'd felt. And Jack had noticed. God, could he have treated Jack any worse? And still, here Jack was, holding none of that against him, just trying to be as helpful as possible. Ianto thought he'd never felt worse in his entire life. He knew that he would have to find a way to make it all up to Jack, somehow.

When Ianto started paying attention to the conversation again, it was still flowing easily between Rhiannon and Jack. It was amazing how charming Jack could be, even when he wasn't trying to flirt. His charisma was captivating, and he brought life to the room, just with his words and his open smile. Ianto couldn't help but admire that.

Then Rhiannon's phone rang, it was Johnny saying he was just getting in the cab from the station, and would be there in five minutes.

"Oh, thank God he's finally here." Rhiannon sighed in relief. "And David should be out of surgery soon, too."

Both Jack and Ianto smiled at her, pleased to see her relief.

"You both can go now. God knows you've helped enough already."

"We'll stay at least until Johnny gets here, okay?" Jack replied before Ianto could say anything. "Just to make sure you're all going to be okay." He smiled at her, reassuringly.

"Fine. It's not like it's any use arguing with you anyway." Rhiannon said with a small laugh.

It wasn't long before Johnny arrived. After all the hugs, and him being introduced to Jack, Rhiannon tried to make them leave again.

"Okay, the family is complete now. Please, both of you, go. I've already ruined your entire afternoon, you deserve to go have some fun on your Saturday."

"It was in no way ruined. We were just glad to be of some help." Again, Jack beat Ianto to replying.

"Oh, you were more than just 'some help'. I don't know what I would've done without you two. Really, I can't thank you enough."

"No thanks necessary." Jack said, that huge smile on his face again.

"Okay, we're leaving. I'd stay longer, but I think if I don't go, Jack won't go." Ianto said, pulling Rhiannon into a hug. "Take care of yourself, and David. And please call if you need anything else." He said still holding her.

"Thank you, Ianto, really. But I won't bother you again unless it's strictly necessary."

"It's no bother at all. You're my sister, and this is my family, too. I'll always be here for you. All of you."

Rhiannon parted from Ianto, and went to hug Jack. Ianto was slightly surprised by the familiarity she was showing him, but he supposed Jack had earned it.

"Jack, thank you so much. I don't have enough words, you made today so much easier."

"It was my pleasure, Rhiannon. You're Ianto's family, and I owe him this much."

Ianto couldn't help but overhear, and another stab of guilt hit him. The way Ianto had treated him, and Jack still felt he was the one who owed him anything. He couldn't live with that, and he would have to make this right as soon as possible.

Everyone hugged everyone goodbye, Ianto told Rhiannon to call when David got out of surgery, and reminded her that she could ask if they needed anything. With that, Jack and Ianto were on their way. Before Ianto could even say anything, Jack was telling him that he would take him home.

"No, Jack, please, you've already done so much. I can just take the bus, it won't be a problem."

"Nonsense. It won't take me ten minutes, and it's practically on my way home anyway."

Ianto had learned enough about Jack that day to know that arguing with that would be a waste of breath. So he just agreed. They were silent while walking to the car, and during most of the journey to Ianto's flat. There was so much Ianto wanted to say to Jack, but he didn't even know where to start. His entire behaviour had been abominable, and words just didn't seem like enough to make it better. Then he had an idea. If earlier Jack had thought that making him lunch would make it up for his supposedly 'bad behaviour', maybe Ianto could offer him the same thing. It would be a start, at least. By then, Jack was already pulling up in front of Ianto's building.


	5. Chapter 5

Another long chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

Thanks again for the alerts and reviews. They make me happy, so keep'em coming.

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"Jack, would you like to come inside? I feel like I owe you something for all you've done," _understatement of the year, _Ianto thought. "And I was thinking maybe I could cook you dinner...?" He immediately realised that this was a terrible idea. Jack had already spent most of his Saturday with him, it was absurd to take up more of his time. He should just leave if for another day. And then he would be able to prepare himself better. Maybe even come up with something decent to say to him. He tried to quickly correct the situation. "No, never mind, you're probably tired, and you must have plans. I'll just-"

Jack interrupted before Ianto could say anything else. "I'd love to. Not that I think you actually owe me anything, but we did miss the meal we were supposed to have today. I was actually looking forward to that lunch, to have the chance to spend time with you outside the lessons, so you could see I'm not so bad."

"Oh, God, Jack, no, I-"

Jack interrupted him again. "Come on, let's go inside. I'm getting quite hungry." He flashed Ianto his radiant smile, dazing him briefly. After that, Ianto couldn't even think of arguing any more. Which would have been moot anyway, because Jack was already leaving the car.

Ianto hurried to catch up with him. As soon as he was out, Jack locked the car while already moving towards the front door. He was clearly not giving Ianto a chance to change his mind. Ianto hurried again, so he could open the door to the building.

"So, what are you gonna cook for me?" Jack asked while they climbed the stairs to the third floor.

"Well, you're in luck, because I wanted to treat myself to something nice, so I happen to have all the necessary ingredients to make my favourite, which is also my speciality."

"Hmm, that sounds interesting."

"You shouldn't really get your hopes up. It only means I'm certain it will be edible and won't give you food poisoning." Ianto said with a small smile.

Jack just laughed at that. "I'm sure it's going to be good. What is it?"

They'd reached Ianto's floor, and he was trying to find the right key to open the door.

"A good old Welsh cawl." He replied while opening the door. "My mam taught me when I was about to leave for Uni, so I wouldn't live primarily on sandwiches and pizza." He pushed the door open and let Jack inside first. "Which I still do."

Ianto got in, closed the door, took out his shoes and jacket. Jack followed.

"Make yourself at home. Would you like a beer?"

"Yeah, that would be nice, thanks."

Ianto moved towards the kitchen, while Jack looked around the living room. It was a very small flat, in a very simple building. The living room consisted of a two-seat couch, a small telly, and a tiny bookshelf, which held a few DVD's and some books. There wasn't space in the room for anything else. He assumed the rest of the flat would be the same. He figured it made sense, considering what Ianto had told him earlier. He clearly didn't have any money to spare, and had to live a simple life. Very simple, he would say, if a mere stew was considered something 'nice'. That made him remember their conversation, and he went into the kitchen to ask Ianto.

"Hey, you said you wanted to treat yourself earlier. What's the occasion?"

Ianto had his back turned, going through the fridge and the cupboards to get the beer and what he needed to cook. He started with Jack's sudden appearance. "Oh, it was nothing special, I just wanted something to compensate for-" He trailed back, realising what he was about to say, unable to cover the guilty, nervous look on his face. Jack gave him a questioning look.

"For...?" And then realisation dawned on him. It was a Saturday. The day of their lesson. He needed something to make the day he had to teach him better. And he felt awful. "Oh, God, Ianto. It was because of me, wasn't it?"

Ianto wanted to hide. He wanted a space ship to come to Earth and abduct him. That would be immensely better than to be in this position right now. All the guilt he was feeling earlier came back with full force. To have Jack realise, all on his own, how much the lessons had been bothering him was too much for him to take. He felt like the worst human being on the planet, especially because he was seeing the look of horror on Jack's face.

"My God, Ianto, I'm so sorry. I should've realised earlier. God, I had no idea this was having this effect on you. I'm so, so sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise. I'll find a way to give you other students, so you won't have to teach me any more. I swear, I'll do something." Jack said it all in one breath, barely giving Ianto a chance to react.

"No, Jack, please, stop-"

But he wasn't listening. He was already turning to leave the kitchen "I'm really sorry. I should go. I'm sorry for imposing on you and your family all afternoon. I feel terrible. I should've realised..." And he started to leave.

Ianto rushed to get to him, grabbing his arm, forcing him to stop and turn back.

"Jack, please! Listen to me!" He finally stopped and looked at Ianto, still looking horrified. Ianto stared back, trying to figure out what to say, now that he'd finally gotten the man to stop talking. He barely knew where to start. "Jack, please... Stop apologising. I... I was... wrong. I was wrong about you."

Jack stared at him, looking stunned. It seemed that he still wanted to bolt, and he still looked ashamed, as if what Ianto had said hadn't registered.

"Please, Jack, don't go. Just listen to me." Jack relaxed a bit, still looking stunned, but seeming to be slowly coming out of the daze he'd gotten in. Ianto thought it was safe to let go of his arm. "Please, take a sit." Ianto turned to get the beers. "There's a lot I need to say to you."

Now Jack just looked confused, but he was still too shocked to react, so he just did what Ianto told him. He sat down, and took a sip of the beer Ianto had just offered him. Ianto mirrored his actions.

He started after taking a deep breath. "Okay, I don't really know how to say it, but I know I have to. I don't even know where to start."

Jack was just staring at him, so he figured he could take his time. He tried to slowly organise his thoughts. He took another deep breath.

"I... I just... Today was..." _God, why was this so hard? _He looked at Jack, who was still staring at him, the confusion in his eyes growing. _Come on, Ianto, get it together. Just say it already. _"I realised today that I was completely wrong about you. I misjudged you, and I feel terrible about it. I've been completely unfair and I don't feel I deserve everything you did for me and my family today. I should be the one apologising, but I don't feel there are enough apologies in the world. You deserved a lot better than the way I've treated you."

Jack blinked, for what seemed like the first time in the past five minutes.

"Ummm... What?"

"You were wonderful today, Jack. I would never have expected anyone to be as helpful and supportive as you were, maybe not even my best friend. You barely know me, I'm just your tutor, and you spent your entire afternoon taking care of us. And you did such a good job, a lot better than I would've done if I'd been alone there. Not only you made it up to me for your previous behaviour – to which I now realise I completely overreacted, by the way – but I saw a side of you that is incredibly rare to find in anyone. I feel ridiculous for being so shallow, for sticking to this larger-than-life façade you show the world and not seeing the real, amazing man underneath. And the way I've treated you, it's appalling. I'm deeply embarrassed by that." He finally stopped to take a breath. He still felt like there weren't enough words in the world to make it right. He could talk until morning, and he would still feel awful.

"Ianto, I..." He paused, running a hand through his hair. "None of this is necessary. You were right to treat me the way you did, I was invading you. And about today... I just did the obvious. You and your family needed help and I was there to offer it. It didn't cost me anything. I hardly feel I deserve all this credit you're giving me."

"See, that's what makes you so special. You do something amazing, and you don't even notice, you think it's no big deal. Except no one else in your place would have bothered. You're not an insensitive jerk, and I should never have treated you like one, I should never have made you feel like one. You're the complete opposite, actually."

They were quiet for a while, apparently none of them knowing how to continue the conversation. Ianto still felt awful, feeling like nothing he could say would make it better, and Jack was having a really hard time digesting what Ianto had said. He almost felt like Ianto was talking of someone else. No one had ever said things like that to him, quite the contrary, actually. He felt like what Ianto had reacted to before wasn't a façade, it was his true self. At least that's how everyone, including himself, had always treated it. He was a flirt, who would never really care about anyone Couldn't care about anyone. But what Ianto was saying... He really hadn't given it a second thought. The minute he saw that Ianto needed help, he just offered it. That didn't make him special, did it? Was that really that rare? He tried to remember if he'd ever done anything like that before. Well, it's not as if he'd had much chance in the past, what with...

Ianto interrupted his thoughts.

"Well, I should start on dinner. You said you were hungry... You are staying, aren't you? Please?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm staying." Jack offered him a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He was still so confused about the whole situation, but he still wanted to spend some time with Ianto. If nothing else, maybe it would help him understand what the young man was thinking.

"Would you like another beer?"

Jack hadn't even noticed that he'd finished the first one, but another seemed extremely necessary at the moment.

"Yes, please."

Ianto got two more, and started going through cupboards again, getting the rest of the ingredients.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"No, you're my guest here. You're supposed to just sit back and relax." Ianto turned to look over his shoulder, smiling at Jack. He hadn't been convinced that what he'd done was okay, and he was determined to do something nice for Jack that night.

Jack shook his head to try and get rid of his thoughts. It wouldn't do for him to brood all night. Even if he didn't quite agree with what Ianto was saying, the man was trying to do something nice for him, and the least he could do was not to make things worse for him. If Ianto wanted him to relax and enjoy it, he would.

"I believe we were talking about your family when we were interrupted earlier." Jack said trying to lighten the mood and initiate conversation.

"And I believe it's your turn to tell me something about yourself." Ianto turned to look at him, favouring him with another smile. "You said you had a little brother?"

"Yeah, Gray. He's six years younger than me."

"You said you helped take care of him... Are you still close?"

"We used to be. All of us, we were a pretty tight family. We never had to hide anything from our parents, they were incredibly understanding and supportive, and we loved to do things together. Every weekend we would spend at least one whole day together, going out, playing games, sometimes just talking. We were very happy."

Ianto had already put the meat and onions to cook, and had moved the other vegetables to the table, so he could peel and dice them while looking at Jack. "Were?" He asked, noticing the use of the past tense.

"Well, we grew apart when I started high school. Well, I did. They're all still close, but I started to drift away. Haven't yet been able to get close to them again, although I'd really like to."

"Doesn't moving to another continent make that harder?" Ianto remembered when Jack had told him in one of the first lessons how he had relocated to Cardiff a year before, because of his job.

"Yeah, it does. But at the time I really needed the change. Moving away to get a new start seemed more important than being close to my family." He wasn't about to tell Ianto why it was so much more important to move away. That was way too private, and still hurt way too much. Was that ever going to stop being such a sore subject? Thankfully, Ianto seemed to notice this, and changed the subject.

"And how has Cardiff been treating you since you got here?"

"You know, I'd say great, but that was before I learned I was having problems at work. I really like living here, but if I can't stay at this company, I don't think I'd be able to stay here." Even if the last thing he wanted was to go back home.

For some reason, that made Ianto feel a pang in his heart, although he couldn't identify why.

"Wouldn't you try looking for another job?"

"Yeah, I suppose I could. But if the problem is that people get uncomfortable because they see me as a foreigner who doesn't know squat about this place, I'm not sure I'd do well in other places." He was thoughtful for a while. "Maybe if I tried something where I didn't have to deal with people, but that's what I've done all my life, I don't even know what else I could do."

"I can understand that."

The vapours had started drifting from the pot, and Jack's stomach growled.

"It certainly smells good."

"I just hope you think it tastes good, too." Ianto laughed softly. "It will still be a while, we have to wait for all the vegetables to cook. I think I have a bag of crisps somewhere, if you're too hungry."

"No, it's fine, I can wait. Wouldn't want to spoil my appetite." And again Jack gave Ianto a very open but innocent smile.

Ianto's phone started to ring, and he went to the living room to collect it where he'd left it on the coffee table. He came back only five minutes later.

"That was Rhiannon. She said David is out of surgery and everything went well. He's sleeping now, and he's gonna be fine. Rhiannon is taking Mica home, and Johnny is staying in case David wakes up, so he won't be too scared and confused."

"That's great news. I'm really glad to hear it." He said sincerely. Ianto was once more taken aback by how much Jack seemed to care about people he didn't even know. He was silent for a short while, before he could reply.

"Thank you again, Jack, for everything you did today. You made everything so much easier on all of us. We really appreciate it." He tried to put all the gratefulness he was feeling in these words.

"Honestly, Ianto, stop thanking me. It was nothing." Ianto could see a hint of a self-deprecating smile, and wondered if there was even more to the man than what met the eye.

"It was not nothing. But I've learned today that it's useless to argue with you, so I'll let it go. But you'll never be able to make me and my family feel any less grateful."

Jack gave him a small smile, but didn't say anything.

They kept talking for a while, choosing lighter topics now. Jack was once more doing what seemed like second nature to him, and soon they were both relaxed, the awkwardness from before practically forgotten. Some time later the timer from the oven went off, and Ianto stood from the counter he was leaning on to check if the stew was ready. He filled two bowls with generous servings, got some bread, and took it all to the table, and then got two more beers for them.

They ate mostly in silence, both of them too hungry to consider stopping to talk. Jack only once stopped to compliment Ianto, saying that it tasted delicious. Ianto was sure he was just being polite, but accepted the compliment anyway.

When they were done, Ianto collected the bowls and took them to the sink to do the washing up.

"Are you sure I still can't help you?" Jack said.

"You're still my guest." Ianto smiled at him, looking over his shoulder. "This won't take long anyway." As soon as he was done, he turned to Jack. "Now, would you like some coffee? I've been told I make a very decent cup."

"Sure, I'd love some."

Ianto turned to his coffee machine, to start the whole delicate process. Only now Jack noticed the machine, and he was surprised. He was pretty sure this was the only thing that could be considered high end in the entire flat.

"Wow, this looks like a great machine."

Ianto laughed. "Yeah, coffee is pretty much the only thing I'll allow myself to splurge on. To me, there's nothing better than a carefully made cup."

"Not even sex?" Jack asked before he could stop himself, and immediately regretted it. He'd been trying really hard to avoid any mention of sex, or flirting, or anything that could be construed as him making a move, trying to respect Ianto, and not put him in the same position he had for so many months.

Ianto didn't seem to mind, though. He just laughed. "You can't have sex in public."

"Fair enough." Jack laughed softly, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Here, you tell me what you think." Ianto said, offering him a cup full of steaming, rich, dark liquid.

Jack took his first sip, and barely contained a moan.

"God, Ianto, this is a lot more than just a decent cup. I think I want to retract my previous statement." Jack said, taking another sip, almost burning his tongue in the urge to get more of the heavenly liquid.

"Thank you, Jack. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Let's have our coffees in the living room. It's slightly more comfortable there."


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, I'd like to thank everyone that's still reading, and welcome the new followers. Hope you all like what's coming. Consider dropping a few lines every once in a while, so I can know what you all have thought of the story so far. Remember, reviews make authors keep writing. ;) Enjoy the new chapter!

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They got to the living room, and Jack started moving towards the shelf.

"Do you mind if I..." He said, pointing to it.

"No, be my guest." Ianto replied, sitting on the couch.

Jack studied the books and DVD's displayed on the shelf. He found a few history books, a few classics, which made sense, considering what Ianto was studying before, and quite a lot of films and books on science fiction.

"Never would've pegged you as a science fiction lover." He said, turning around, moving to sit on the couch.

"Oh, yeah. Aliens, time travel. I love all that stuff. When I was a kid I dreamt that I would work for an organization that studied alien stuff and fought to protect the human race. I thought that by now we would've already made contact with other civilisations, and I wanted to be right in the middle of it. Unfortunately, that's not the case, so I settled for studying British history." Ianto said, huge smile on his face, as if he was a little kid again. "Still hoping I can one day prove that there are werewolves in the Royal family." He said, barely containing his excited laughter.

"Werewolves?" Jack asked sceptically, looking as if he thought Ianto was a little bit mad.

He chuckled. "It's an old urban legend." He replied, not seeming to care one bit how Jack was looking at him. "It'd be pretty cool if it were true, though, wouldn't it?"

"Um, you don't really believe in all that, do you?"

"Nah, not really. But I like to keep my mind open, you know? I mean, clearly most of what we read in science fiction is not true, but so much has already happened that no one believed would be possible. C'mon, we have a robot on Mars! How amazing is that? I just like the idea that life can be more fantastic than what we see when we're too busy with our routines, you know? It may be a bit daft, but I'd rather be a bit childish and allow myself to dream, than to become a boring, grumpy adult, who only worries about paying taxes and complains about the government."

"Ianto Jones, you surprise me." Jack said, a hint of pure amazement in his eyes.

"I know I look extremely stoic and boring on the outside... and I think I prefer it that way. I don't like to call attention to myself." He commented, with a thoughtful look. "But when it's just me... I don't ever want to stop dreaming."

"That may be how you look, but you're anything but boring. There's something special about you. I've always known that."

He focused on Jack, and was surprised to see that he was being totally sincere, without a hint of flirting. Ianto wasn't used to being complimented like that, seen like that, usually being very successful in hiding in the shadows, and he had no idea what to say to that. He just smiled shyly at Jack, and turned the conversation around before the silence became uncomfortable.

"So what do you like, Jack?"

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I think I'm becoming a boring, grumpy adult who only pays taxes, complains about the government, and forgets to dream." Jack said jokingly. Ianto laughed softly at that, and Jack laughed, too. He got a thoughtful look on his face, and started staring at his hands, folded in his lap. "I mean, I flirt, and I joke, and I'm great at lightening the mood when the situation requires it, but if I stop to think about it... I'm not so sure I enjoy myself doing stuff that much any more. These things I do are kind of second nature to me, not necessarily something I do to enjoy myself, even if it looks like it. I'm not so sure there's any part of myself left that allows itself to completely relax, and be a bit naïve. Well, except for..." He looked up, searching Ianto's eyes. "Promise not to laugh?"

"Cross my heart." He replied, doing the motion.

"Well, I don't do it much any more, but it's something that I think will always hold meaning to me. It's something I still think about every once in a while, and I suppose you could say it's when I allow myself to dream..." He paused, not really prepared to say it out loud. Ianto looked at him, curiosity and encouragement in his eyes.

Jack took a deep breath. "I used to love reading romance novels. I still do it sometimes, when I have the time, although very rarely. Always the ones where you have this big dashing hero, who always comes at the right time, always knows the right thing to do, and never fails to save everyone. That's what I dreamt about. I wanted to be the hero, to know the answers, to be strong." He sighed deeply, dejectedly. "I guess I turned out to be the exact opposite." Now he just looked forlorn. "That's probably why I don't dream that much any more." It was said barely above a whisper.

Ianto regarded Jack for a while, sympathy flowing in his eyes. Not that Jack could see it, he was still staring intently at his hands. Without really thinking, Ianto reached over, and took one of Jack's hands in his own. That startled Jack, and he turned to Ianto again.

"I know you don't see it that way, but I think that what you did today was pretty heroic. Heroism doesn't have to mean a knight in shining armour, or big gestures that save the world. It's being there when someone needs you, being selfless, brave, caring. From what I've seen today, you're all of that." Ianto said softly. Jack scoffed.

"I think you're seeing way too much into everything I did today. And believe me when I say, that would absolutely not be your opinion if you knew me better." He paused for a while, and added under his breath. "If you knew my past."

Ianto didn't know what to say. It's not like he could argue with that, he really barely knew Jack. He also didn't want to pry.

"You're right, I don't know you that well. But I also know that our past doesn't define us. Whatever you've done, whatever happened, you're still a good man. I know that much."

"Thank you." He still didn't believe it, he wasn't sure he was ever going to be able to believe something like that, that he could be good, useful, needed. But he appreciated Ianto's attempts at cheering him up anyway.

Ianto knew Jack didn't really believe him, and he still wanted to do something to help him feel better. For some reason, seeing him like that made his heart ache. He noticed the empty cup on the coffee table. Maybe that would help.

"I'm going to make more coffee. Care for another cup?"

"Yeah, that would be great, actually." Jack tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

_Okay, no more sore subjects, _Ianto thought. Although, how could he possibly know what a sore subject would be? He'd just asked what he liked, for Christ's sake. That was supposed to make for easy conversation. Either way, he didn't want Jack to leave feeling like that. He was trying to make things up to him, not make him depressed. Maybe he could find something good in the telly, something funny. Maybe that would distract him.

In the living room, Jack was also thinking about the conversation they'd just had. What had made him say all that? Now he was all down, and making Ianto worried. There was something about the other man. Something that made Jack trust Ianto, made him feel safe. Although he doubted he'd ever trust anyone enough to tell the whole story. It was too humiliating. He didn't want anyone to see how weak and worthless he truly was. And for some reason, especially not Ianto. Okay, time to lighten the mood. He was good at that, wasn't he? Time to put that quality to good use.

Ianto came back to the living room a few minutes later, holding the two cups. He was about to suggest turning on the telly, but Jack never gave him the chance.

"So, this one time, I was presenting a new project to a group of buyers." Jack had a huge smile on his face, and Ianto wondered if he'd walked into a parallel universe again. Where was the dejected Jack he'd just left ten minutes before? He sat down again, in complete awe of the transformation. "I was trying to be funny, you know, lighten the mood and all that, I'm great at that, so let's use it to relax the clients and maybe make them more likely to approve the project. I was telling stories and funny jokes all the time, alternating between that and presenting some aspect of the project to them, and I could even find a way to make jokes while presenting, you know, two birds, one stone. I kept noticing the women sniggering, blushing slightly, and people exchanging looks and laughing. I was so focused on what I was doing, that it never occurred to me that they might not be laughing at my jokes, I just thought I was being this huge success. So the presentation ends, I say goodbye to everyone, they're all smiling, and I'm pretty confident that it had all gone incredibly well. I turn to leave the site, and one of my colleagues turns to me and says 'Please excuse me, Jack, but...' My colleague looked incredibly embarrassed, and I had no idea why. '...Your fly is open,' he said. I look down, and I see that my trousers are unbuttoned, and my fly is half way down. Worst part, you could totally see Spiderman's head through the opening."

"Oh, my God, you were wearing Spiderman underwear?" Ianto asked, not even trying to contain his laughter.

"What, he's one of my favourite heroes! That's what I always wear in difficult situations, it's my lucky charm!"

Ianto couldn't stop laughing, cheeks burning red, tears rolling down his face. Jack started to worry that the man might choke. It took a few minutes for him to calm down and catch his breath.

_Complete success, _Jack thought.

After that, everything started flowing. They talked, laughed, shared stories. They managed to avoid any other difficult subjects, and both men were completely comfortable with each other. Anyone who saw them would've assumed they'd been friends forever.

A very long time later, Jack glanced at his watch, through another fit of laughter.

"Oh, wow, is that really the time?" He asked, seeing it showed that it was half past three in the morning.

Ianto searched for his phone, wiping tears from his eyes. "God, how did it get this late?"

"I never even noticed that we'd been talking for so long."

"Me neither."

"Time really does fly when you're having fun." Jack said, still looking surprised.

"Yes. Yes, it does." Ianto held a warm smile, and a fond look on his face. "I really enjoyed myself tonight, Jack."

"Me, too." Jack returned the smile, and the look. They stared at each other for a while, almost too long for it to be comfortable.

"I should go." Jack finally said, barely containing a sigh. "We both had a long day today, we should rest."

"Yeah... yeah, you're right. Are you going to be okay, to drive back home?"

"Yeah, don't worry, I'll be fine." Jack smiled reassuringly. They both got up and headed towards the door.

"Thanks for dinner, Ianto. You're really not as bad a cook as you think you are." Ianto smiled embarrassedly. "But most of all, thank you for the coffee. My standards are considerably higher now." This time, Ianto just laughed.

"It was my pleasure."

"So, I guess I'll see you Saturday."

"Yeah, see you Saturday. Good night, Jack. Drive safe."

"Good night, Ianto."

Ianto closed the door behind Jack, and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed, completely lost in thoughts. He had no idea, when that day started, that he would end it with a new, totally unexpected friend. And a great one at that.

xXxXx

The next Saturday, Ianto woke up before the alarm. He felt really good, this time actually looking forward to the day ahead. He couldn't help but be amused, thinking about how different he felt from the previous Saturday. Before, this used to be the worst day of his week, the one he was constantly dreading. Today, he was actually happy. He was excited. He'd thought about it a lot during the week. The other Saturday had been fun. Extremely fun. In fact, he couldn't remember when was the last time he'd had so much fun. He still couldn't wrap his head around what had happened. He didn't think he'd ever been this wrong about a person before. That goes to show the cliché is true. Don't judge a book by its cover. All he could say is that he was truly grateful that he'd been shown the error of his ways. He got up to get ready for his lesson. Today was going to be a great day.

One and a half hours later, Ianto was knocking on Jack's door.

"Hi, Ianto. Great to see you again." Jack greeted, a warm and sincere smile on his face.

"Hi, Jack. It's great to see you, too." Ianto returned the same smile.

For the first time in those circumstances, both men seemed completely comfortable around each other. The tension that Ianto usually fought so hard to hide was now completely gone.

"So, how's David?" Jack asked.

"Oh, he's doing fine. Still recovering, but he's going to be okay. He was actually trying to convince Rhiannon that he could ride his bike with one hand." They both laughed.

"He sounds a lot like me when I was a kid. Always looking for trouble. And usually finding it." He paused for a while. "I don't think I've changed that much. Huh."

"I suspected as much." Ianto chuckled, walking towards the table they used. He felt weird doing that without the usual weight on his shoulders. The lesson went by a lot easier now. Jack was also a lot more focused, now the he wasn't so distracted flirting with Ianto. The first half of the lesson went by in a flash.

"Okay, who are you and what have you done with Jack Harkness?"

"What? What did I do this time?"

"You're clearly not the same student I had before. You're focused, paying attention, remembering what I say, participating. I'm not complaining, mind, but if someone told me I'm looking at a doppelganger of you, I'd believe them."

"Oh, come on, I wasn't that bad."

Ianto just stared at him, a condemning look on his face.

"Fine." Jack sighed. "I just... well, you deserve better." He paused, thinking for a while. "Plus, it's a lot easier to focus when I'm not concentrating on flirting with you." He finished, looking abashed.

Ianto laughed. "Well, I'm glad. I was honestly worried about you, thinking I'd never be able to help you enough for you to keep your job. I have a lot more confidence now." He grinned.

"I'm really not sure if that's a compliment or not." He sulked. And then paused. "Wait... You worried about me?"

"Of course I did. I'm a tutor, and a good one at that. It's my job to care about my students. Even the annoying ones." He winked.

"Am I really that annoying?"

"No. No, you're not. Not the real you." He was serious now, the joking tone leaving his voice. He looked into Jack's eyes, his own overflowing with fondness.

Jack kept the gaze for a while, and then said, "You know, I'm really glad things changed between us."

"Me, too, Jack. Me, too." There was another small pause. "Okay, back to the lesson now. There's no point in you being all dedicated now, and me not doing my job."

Jack chuckled. "Yes, sir."

The rest of the lesson went by as fast as the first half. Soon Ianto was gathering his materials, getting ready to leave. Jack started talking when they were both getting up.

"So, um, I was thinking... Maybe you'd like to stay for lunch today?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jack, I can't. I have this standing lunch with my best friend every Saturday. It's pretty much the only time we can see each other. The only reason I stayed last weekend was because she had to cancel."

"Oh, okay." Jack smiled weakly, trying, and failing, to hide the disappointment on his face. "Not a problem. Just thought I'd ask, in case you didn't have any plans."

Ianto felt his heart crack. Not only because he hadn't missed the look on Jack's face, but also because he'd really like to stay.

"I'm really sorry. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah, sure. No worries." Jack led Ianto towards the door. "See you next Saturday?"

"Yeah. Next Saturday. Bye, Jack. Have a nice weekend."

"Yeah, you, too."

Jack walked to the kitchen, crestfallen. He opened the fridge, and eyed all the food he'd bought. It was clearly too much just for him. He sighed. Maybe he could just freeze some of it. He walked back to the living room, suddenly losing his appetite.


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you so much to everyone who bothered to leave a review, even if it was just a few words. I truly appreciate all of them. And once again, welcome new followers. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

"Hey, Tosh!" Ianto greeted cheerfully, as soon as Toshiko opened the door.

"Hi, Ianto!" She replied, pulling him into a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

"You, too! I missed you last week."

"So did I. I'm so sorry I had to cancel."

"It's okay. I wouldn't have been able to stay anyway."

"Why, what happened?"

"Oh, Tosh, I have so much to tell you. We should go into the kitchen and get a start on lunch."

"Oooh, I'm intrigued." She paused a little, studying Ianto. "Wait a minute. There's something different about you today." Ianto looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you look miserable and stressed out, like every Saturday for the past three months? Did Jack cancel today or something?"

"Like I said, kitchen." Ianto turned to walk to the kitchen, confident that Tosh would follow him. She did, with a curious look on her face.

Ianto told her everything, from David's accident, to talking to Jack until three in the morning. He talked most of the time they were cooking and Tosh never interrupted, she only sometimes muttered an 'Oh' or an 'Wow' under her breath. When he finished, she finally spoke.

"Wow. Who would've thought." She looked half pensive, half stunned.

"I know. I was quite stunned myself while it was all happening." He paused for a while, a soft smile on his face. "So today class went okay, I was much more relaxed, Jack was a lot more dedicated, and apparently Saturdays don't make me miserable any more."

"Oh, Ianto, I'm really happy for you." Tosh said, reaching to hold his hand. "I hated seeing you so glum like that."

"You know, I'm happy, too. Jack is a great person, and I'm glad we're friends now." He squeezed her hand. "Okay, I've been talking my arse off. How have you been?"

"Oh, you know. Work is the same. I've been a little busy, but I don't mind. We have a new project, and I'm enjoying myself quite a lot." She jumped, as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, oh, and I have to tell you! I'm almost finished building my new computer. I have to show you when we finish eating."

"I'd love to see it." Ianto smiled agreeing. He usually understood only half of what Tosh told him when she was talking about her passion, technology, but he always indulged her anyway. He knew she loved going on and on about it, and he didn't mind giving her the attention, even if he'd never remember what she'd told him.

They finished eating, and then Tosh spent an hour showing Ianto all the details of her new toy. He loved seeing her so happy. He loved it even more now, since he wasn't too busy sulking, feeling sorry for himself and his depressing life.

xXxXx

By Tuesday, Ianto had made up his mind. He'd felt terrible about having to turn Jack down on Saturday, and along with that, he really missed talking to him. They'd had so much fun together, and that wasn't something that happened often in Ianto's life. And he wanted more. He called Tosh first.

"Hi, Ianto."

"Hey, Tosh, how you doing?"

"I'm fine. What's up?"

"Um, I was thinking... would it be okay if this Saturday we did dinner instead of lunch?"

"Yeah, I suppose so. Why?"

"I just... there's... something I need to do." He didn't know why he hadn't just told her the truth. For some reason, he wanted to keep this private for now. Maybe it was because he was afraid of Jack's answer, worried that he might turn him down. Ianto could have misread everything, and maybe Jack didn't want to be his friend after all, maybe the other Saturday had just been a one time thing.

"Okay... Well, it's not like I had any plans for Saturday night anyway. So sure. I could go to yours at about 7? Would that be okay?"

"Yeah, sure, that's perfect. See you Saturday."

"See you."

Okay, first part down. He took a deep breath, while he searched for the number through his contacts. He paused for a second, and made the call.

"Jack Harkness."

"Hi, Jack, it's Ianto. Ianto Jones."

Small pause. "Oh, hi Ianto. What can I do for you?"

"I was just thinking... my friend had to change our lunch to dinner next Saturday. So, since I couldn't stay last weekend, maybe you'd like to do something this one?" He finished in one breath, tapping his fingers anxiously on his coffee table.

Another pause. "Um, yeah, I'd love to. Would you... would you like to stay over, or would you like to go out?"

"Staying over is fine."

"Okay, I'll get us something nice."

"You don't need to worry about that. Anything will be okay."

"Shush. I'm getting something nice."

"Fiiine. No use arguing anyway."

Jack laughed. "I'm glad you've learned that already." Ianto chuckled. "See you Saturday, Ianto."

"See you, Jack."

Across town, Jack disconnected the call. He had a huge smile on his face, and his spirits had lifted. He'd been in a fowl mood since the previous weekend, but now it was all gone. He was really looking forward to Saturday.

xXxXx

Ianto left Jack's house on Saturday feeling incredibly happy. He couldn't help but think, all through his journey home, about all they'd talked about, and how many times they'd laughed. For starters, he'd really thought he'd just stay for lunch. He'd ended up staying until early evening, and now he was almost late to meet Tosh.

He was still surprised to find out that circumstances had made them have more in common than he'd previously thought. He couldn't believe that he'd actually never discussed with Jack what he did for a living in more detail. He'd known he was an engineer, but he'd been astounded to find out that since moving to Wales, he'd started working restoring heritage sites. Now he understood why learning Welsh could mean so much for the clients to accept him better. He had to admit that he'd always found it weird, but had never bothered to ask. They spent a whole part of the afternoon talking about a few of the more important sites in Wales, clearly one of Ianto's favourite subjects. Jack had been responsible for restoring in one way or another a few of them so far, some that Ianto had already seen and loved, some that where on his 'to visit as soon as possible' list.

Jack was currently working on replanning the conservation of Tinkinswood, a place that featured on Ianto's 'to visit' list. Jack spent a long time detailing his work, talking about what he'd learned of the history of the place, and how he was responsible now for renovating the pillars that kept the capstone of the burial ground in place. Ianto couldn't have been more interested. He felt like a fanboy who'd finally found someone to discuss his obscure passions with. Jack, seeing how passionate Ianto was about the whole thing, and realising that he could actually do something for him, promised that he'd take the younger man there as soon as his work was done. Ianto was gleeful after Jack told him that. Ianto was almost mad at Jack for not telling him sooner, considering he knew about Ianto's interest in History, but Jack said he was going to, but he pointed out that he'd only found out about it two weeks before, and then they'd been interrupted by Rhiannon's call, and he forgot all about it.

Ianto saw his stop approaching, and all thoughts of Jack were substituted by running home so he wouldn't keep Tosh waiting.

He rushed up the three flights of stairs to his floor, and found Tosh about to start knocking on his door.

"Punctual as ever." Ianto said, slightly out of breath.

"You've been out until now? I didn't know your 'thing' was going to take this long."

"Yeah, me neither." He replied, unlocking the door.

"What were you doing all this time?" She stopped to look at him, already inside the flat.

Ianto looked slightly embarrassed. "I... I was with Jack." He said, looking down.

"Oh, really?" Tosh replied, surprised, looking amused. "All afternoon?"

"Um, yeah." Now he was just running away, rushing towards the kitchen. Tosh followed immediately.

"Um, Ianto... Is there something else going on with Jack?"

"No! No, he's... he's just a friend. I... I have fun with him, that's all. It's nice to have someone else to talk to. You've been my only friend for so long..."

"Okaaay... Then why do you look so embarrassed about it?"

"Um, do I?" He said, blushing a little. "I don't know, I guess... I don't think I've ever liked a friend this much before... We always have such a good time together... it's kind of weird."

"And you're sure there's nothing else there?"

"No, I don't think so... I mean, I'd know if I were attracted to him, wouldn't I?"

"I suppose..." She said, not looking very convinced. She added after a pause. "You do seem to have some demi-sexual tendencies..."

"I... I..." He tried to reply, flustered. "It still doesn't change the fact that I'm not attracted to him _now_."

"Well, I can't argue with that. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Why are you so determined on me being interested in him anyway?"

"It's just... You've been alone for so long. It'd be nice if you found someone."

"I don't have to be dating to be happy, you know? I did miss having more people in my life, but that's what I just told you, Jack is a great person, and I'm glad we're friends now. That's all I needed."

"You're right. I'm sorry. And I'm happy for you."

"Speaking of which," Ianto paused, noticing Tosh's raised eyebrow. "Would it be too terrible if we started meeting for dinner instead of lunch?"

"So you can have regular lunches with Jack?" She smiled knowingly.

"Well... yeah. I mean, I haven't asked him yet, but I think he'd like it, too."

"Yeah, I don't see why not. I mean, we started with lunch because we wanted to have the night free in case we wanted to go out clubbing or something. But it's been two years, and I haven't been clubbing once."

"Me neither." Ianto laughed. "Thanks, Tosh."

"No problem."

Turns out, they actually ended up having more fun having dinner. They drank, talked, laughed. Even if Tosh couldn't stay very late because she had to wake up early to visit her family, as she did every Sunday, they still enjoyed themselves, a lot. Ianto was very satisfied with the relationship he had with Tosh. He knew he could trust her completely, and that they'd always be there for each other. He could tell her everything, even about liking Jack more than any other friend, and he knew she'd get it. She knew that she would never lose the special place she held in his heart. What they had was special and they both knew that. For the first time in a really long time, he felt blessed, for having two amazing people in his life that he could call his friends.

xXxXx

The following Saturday arrived really fast. Or really slowly, depending on the point of view. Ianto couldn't wait to see Jack, but he'd never called him about lunch. He'd tried to, many times, but he always lost his nerve. He felt very shy all of a sudden, and he didn't want to seem too clingy, considering he'd already called him the previous week. He wanted to make sure that Jack would be free, but he also didn't want to impose. So Saturday arrived, and Ianto realised that now he was counting on luck.

The lesson went by smoothly, which had become routine now. Jack continued being an excellent student, and Ianto was very confident that now he would make progress. The atmosphere was still relaxed, and everything flowed. Which meant that time went by way too fast. Soon, Ianto was gathering his things, trying to think how to broach the subject of staying for lunch with Jack. He didn't want to invite himself to stay, that seemed like an awful thing to do, but he also didn't want to waste the chance of spending time with Jack, especially after going through all the trouble of changing his plans with Tosh. Jack was already getting up and walking towards the door, and Ianto was starting to get desperate. He couldn't tell what would be worse, asking to stay and being turned down, or leave without even trying. Maybe if he could be really casual about it. He was trying to think fast of something to say, but his mind was drawing a blank. Jack was already opening the door.

"So, have fun with your friend."

_Oh, thank God, that's exactly the opening he needed._

"Oh, yeah, about that. Turns out she had to change our meetings definitively. We'll be meeting for dinner every Saturday now." _Please ask me to stay, please ask me to stay._

"Oh. So you're free now?"

"Um, yeah." _Don't look too anxious, don't look too anxious._

"Wanna stay for lunch, then?" Jack asked quickly. "Unless you'd rather go home."

"No, not really. I'd love to stay." _Yes!_

Again, Ianto stayed until early evening. He was still amazed at how easy it was to be with Jack. He never even noticed time passing.

"I really enjoy spending time with you, you know." Jack said, when Ianto was getting ready to leave.

"I do, too, Jack." Ianto replied, smiling shyly.

"Do you think maybe, I mean, if you want to, but could we maybe make this a regular thing?" Jack asked, looking down, fidgeting with the hem of his T-shirt.

"I think that would be great, actually." Ianto said, grinning widely.

Jack looked up. "Great! I think so, too." He grinned back.

"See you Saturday, Jack."

"See you."

Ianto left Jack's house, his spirits lifted, feeling incredibly happy and satisfied.

* * *

A/N 1: I know next to nothing about Wales and Welsh culture, so everything I put here I found on Google or Wikipedia. If I say something horribly wrong, please forgive and correct me. You can find the place they mentioned (Tinkinswood) on Wikipedia.

A/N 2: If you don't know what demi-sexuality is and want to learn more about it, you can find some information on the Aven website. Search for general FAQ under 'about asexuality'. There you have the definition, and a bit more information on example 5. And yes, this is a real thing. Feel free to ask me questions about it.


	8. Chapter 8

Three months went by, and Jack and Ianto continued to spend every Saturday afternoon together without fail. Their friendship was becoming deeper and deeper. They'd gotten really close, and Ianto would even say that Jack had reached best friend level, right alongside Tosh. They talked about everything, continued to have ridiculous amounts of fun together, they cared deeply about each other, and it felt like they could trust each other with everything. Well, almost everything. There's still something that Jack felt he couldn't tell anyone, not even Ianto. No matter how close they got. He didn't know that it would change soon.

It was another regular Saturday, and they were just finishing lunch. Ianto had just started making coffee (Jack had actually bought a decent coffee machine for him, so they could have Ianto's fantastic coffee every day they met. Ianto had been astounded, but he'd also learned not to be too surprised when Jack did something amazing. It was just who he was. It didn't make him any less grateful, though). Then Jack's phone chirped, indicating he'd just received a text message. Ianto was so used to them sharing everything, that he didn't think twice before turning to see what it was about. That made him catch the shocked expression on Jack's face, and him going pale, as if all his blood had been drained from his face.

"What is it, Jack?" Ianto asked, concern marking his features.

Jack was stupefied for a while, and it took him some time to realise that Ianto was talking to him. "Oh, it's nothing."

"What do you mean it's nothing, you look really upset."

"Um, it's just my brother. Something's happened to him."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Jack's eyes weren't really focusing on anything, and he was still pale.

Ianto didn't know what to do. Normally Jack told him everything about his family, and the fact that he wasn't being forthcoming now was deeply worrying him. At the same time, he could practically see Jack building walls all around himself, and Ianto felt like he shouldn't push him. Even if they had become accustomed to being always completely honest with each other, Ianto respected his friend's privacy. He assumed Jack would tell him what was going on when he was ready. He was still lost in thoughts when Jack seemed to finally start coming out of his trance.

"Um, would you mind leaving? I need to call my brother."

Ianto felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Rationally, he knew that Jack had every right to want to be alone, considering that whatever happened was clearly affecting him tremendously, but he couldn't help but think that Jack just didn't trust him enough, despite everything they'd been through these past months. He quickly berated himself for thinking like this, and started getting ready to leave. "Yeah, sure, I'll go."

Jack was already at the door when he was done, opening it.

"Um, call me if you need anything, okay?" Ianto tried, feeling like he was practically being shoved out the door.

"Yeah, I will." Jack said, but he looked like he wasn't paying any attention to what he was saying. The door was slammed as soon as Ianto crossed the threshold.

Ianto felt awful. He was extremely worried about Jack, and feeling utterly useless. He wished he could help, but Jack had made it quite clear that he didn't want him around. Hell, he didn't even know what was happening, how could he even consider helping? He felt even worse when he realised that if the roles had been reversed, Jack would've found a way. He started his way home while calling Tosh, hoping he could see her earlier that day.

Jack went back to the kitchen to his phone. He reread the message.

"Hey, Jack. I don't really know how to tell you this... I saw John the other day. I tried to hide so he wouldn't see me, but he did, and followed me. He tried to be casual, the bastard, and started asking about you. I told him you had moved away. I'm sorry, I thought that was the best thing to do, I thought that would make him back down for good. He got that sick glint in his eyes, you know which one, and muttered that he could have a lot of fun tracking you down. I'm really sorry. I just thought you should know. Call if you want to talk. Love, Gray."

Now that he was alone, Jack could let his emotions run freely. He had no intention of calling his brother, he wouldn't be able to talk to anyone at the moment. He could feel it coming before, and now it'd started to blow with full force. He hadn't had a panic attack in a year and a half (since he'd moved to Cardiff), but he could still easily recognize the signs. He barely remembered walking to his room, sitting on his bed with his knees drawn close to him, holding as tight as he could. The tears wouldn't stop flowing, he was hyperventilating, feeling his heart drumming in his chest, as if it wanted to fly off his chest through his ribs, cold sweat drenching him, and fear running through his veins, reaching every fibre of his being.

Jack felt miserable to realise how much power John still held over him, after all these years, and all the distance. He realised now that he'd been lying to himself. Nothing would make him forget what the last two years with John had been like. The threats, the emotional abuse, which had left deep scars that sometimes he felt would never disappear. He couldn't say what bothered him more. All the awful things John had done, or the fact that he felt like the weakest person alive for allowing John to make him feel so bad, so worthless. It was still hard for him to understand how it all had even happened. He just knew that where John was involved, he felt this irrational fear, as if he were a meaningless bug that could be crushed on a whim. As much as he'd gone back to behaving like his old self, lively, confident, deep inside he had all those deep-seated insecurities that made him feel like he was nothing, and he knew that whatever he showed people was a big fat lie. He wasn't charming, funny, handsome. He was a minuscule excuse for a person, who didn't deserve the very air the breathed, the space he occupied on Earth. He tried to hide it, so, so deeply, but many nights he still thought that he should just die already, and stop being such a waste. At least, that's what John had taught him, repeating it over and over for years, until it was the only truth Jack could ever believe.

The only reason he'd even stayed with John so long was because John had started making threats of violence. He said (and proved) to Jack that he had many 'friends' who wouldn't bat an eyelash before hurting him or his family. Even after they had (finally) broken up, staying in the US had been terrible. Every time he saw someone who remotely resembled John, he'd have anxiety attacks, thinking about all the terrible images John had put in his head for over two years. Life for him was becoming impossible. That's when the offer to move came, and he thought that was a blessing from the heavens. He'd been worried at first, thinking that disappearing might put his family at risk, but they convinced him that most likely the distance would make John get over him, and they would be fine. With that, Jack accepted the offer, and for the first time in a long time, he felt hopeful, believing that he would finally be able to breathe again. Now it could be all over. If John decided to look for him again, Jack had no doubt he'd found him. And he was terrified of what that could do to him.

God, he had to stop thinking about all that. It was driving him out of his mind, the realisation that the nightmare wasn't over, it would never be. There were so many memories running through his head, and he just wanted to bury them all again, like he'd done since he'd come to Cardiff. He fought really hard to regain his control, to repress it all again. He'd do everything he could to go back to pretending none of that had ever happened. But it was almost an impossible fight.

He had no idea how long he sat there. After a while, exhaustion took over, and he fell into a fitful sleep. He had nightmares all night, and he not always could tell what was real and what wasn't. The first signs of sunlight filtering through the curtains finally woke him up definitively, and he lay there, discomforting thoughts haunting him. He started recalling what had happened the previous day, and thought that maybe he should call his brother after all. Now that he'd calmed down a bit, maybe Gray would help him see the situation more clearly. There was this running loop in his mind of the shock he'd felt when he first saw the message. It threw him completely out of sorts, he could barely think straight. And them he remembered: Ianto. Oh, God, poor Ianto. He'd practically thrown him out of his house, without a single word. Even through all the confusion that still addled his brain, Jack could still remember the concern on the other man's face, and how hurt he looked when Jack shut him out. After everything they'd been through, Ianto deserved better than that. But what could Jack have possibly done? He really didn't want Ianto to know about any of that, and he certainly didn't want to fall apart in front of him. Still, he could have at least been nicer to him when he'd asked to be alone.

Jack would have to make it up to him. He just had no idea how, especially if he couldn't tell him the truth. He would have to figure something out. He just hoped Ianto wasn't as hurt as Jack thought he was.

It was too early to call Gray back home. Or too late. He wasn't sure, this whole time zone thing confused him. Still, he didn't want to risk waking him up. But if he knew Ianto, he'd be up soon, too anxious to start tidying up his flat. So maybe he could do something about that first. He got up to shower, and try to decide what he was going to do.

An hour later, he called Ianto, hoping he was already up.

"Jack, thank God! I was so worried about you."

"Hey, Yan." Jack tried to sound cheerful, but feeling awful for letting the other man worry for so long. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already up. How are-" Jack didn't let him finish.

"Listen, would you mind if I came over?" Whatever he was going to say, Jack knew it had to be in person. "I'll bring you breakfast."

"No, of course you can come. But you don't have to worry about breakfast."

"I'm bringing you breakfast. I'll be there soon."

"Okay." Ianto sighed resignedly. "See you soon."

Jack was exhausted, constant fear never leaving his mind, and all he wanted was to go back to bed and hide forever. But none of that mattered now. He had to make it up to Ianto, so he would put all that away, and make things better with the other man.

Half an hour later, Jack was knocking on Ianto's door. Ianto opened it to find him, holding a bag with pastries in one hand and a tray with freshly pressed orange juice in the other (he knew better than to bring coffee, knowing that Ianto would rather make his own), remorse written all over his face.

"I'm so sorry, Ianto." He sounded deeply ashamed.

"It's okay, Jack. Just come inside." Ianto moved to let Jack in.

Jack got in, but stopped, having taking only two steps.

"No, it's not okay, the way I treated you yesterday was appalling, I-"

"Jack, just come sit down." Ianto interrupted him, lightly pushing him towards the kitchen.

Jack finally moved, dragging himself, and sat at the table. Ianto followed soon after, and took the seat opposite him. He could see that Jack was struggling with something, so he decided not to push, and waited for the other man to start talking.

After a long while, Jack took a deep breath and started talking.

"I can't really tell you what happened. It's... Something happened to me a while back, and my brother sent me a message that reminded me of it. As you could see, I still can't deal with it. I don't talk about that with anyone, for many reasons. Please know that it doesn't mean that I don't trust you, because I do. You know I have no problems with sharing everything about my life with you. I just can't talk about this particular thing."

"Okay."

Jack took another deep breath.

"It's not okay, not really. It doesn't matter how I feel about the whole thing, I should never have treated you that way. It's just... I completely lose control where that subject is involved. But that's no excuse, you deserved better."

"Jack, I understand, really." He reached to hold Jack's hand. "You don't have to apologise. I was just upset because I wanted to help you and I couldn't. But I understand, if you don't want to talk about it, it's okay, you don't have to. Ever. Just know that I'm here for you. I'll always be. Even if I don't know what it's about, I can still see how much it hurts you. And you don't have to be alone with the pain if you don't want to." He gave the hand he was holding a reassuring squeeze. "I'll do whatever you need me to do, okay? I'll leave you alone, or keep you company without talking, or help you get distracted. Anything you need, you can just ask."

"I don't deserve you." Jack finally looked up from the spot on the table where he'd set his eyes from the moment he'd sat down.

"Yes, you do." Ianto smiled at him fondly. "And what can I do for you now?"

"Can we just eat, in quiet?"

"Of course we can. I'll make us some coffee."

They ate slowly, both of them completely lost in thought. Ianto still felt kind of useless, but he knew that what he'd offered Jack was the best he could do. He could feel that Jack was very unstable, and he didn't want to do anything to push him, or make him feel pressured. He would just try to do whatever Jack asked him to the best of his abilities.

After they'd finished eating, Jack was still quiet, eyes unfocused. Ianto got up to do the washing up. Fifteen minutes later, he put another mug of coffee in front of Jack. At first he thought he hadn't noticed, but after a short while he picked it up and took a sip. They sat there drinking their coffee, still not talking.

A long time later, Jack finally focused his eyes again, looking at Ianto.

"I should go. I'm keeping you from your routine, I know how much you hate that."

"Don't be daft, Jack. You're more important than my need to keep everything tidy."

"Wow. I think that's the best compliment anyone has ever paid me. I didn't think anything was more important than that." He graced Ianto with a tiny smile. Ianto just laughed at that. Jack laughed, too, softly. "Thank you. For everything."

"Whatever you need. I mean it."

"Would you mind if I stayed a bit longer, then? I need to call my brother, but it's still too early there. I don't really want to be alone. I don't need you to be with me, you can do your stuff. I just want to know that there's someone around."

"Sure, Jack. Stay as long as you like." He smiled at him. "I'll go do my things, but call me if you need anything. I promise you won't be bothering me."

"Thanks."

A couple of hours later, Jack had moved to the living room, and was pretending to read a book. He turned the pages every once in a while, but Ianto could clearly see that he wasn't paying any attention to what he was doing. He wished there was more that he could do, but that was hard considering he had no idea what was making Jack feel that way. He hoped that he was at least being supportive enough. And then Jack got up.

"Okay, now I really should go. My brother is probably up already."

"Okay, Jack." Ianto thought of offering Jack to make the call from his flat, but he'd obviously want his privacy, so he didn't say anything.

"Thank you for putting up with me."

"As far as you're concerned, it will never be putting up." Ianto lead him to the door. "Is it okay if I call you later?"

"Yeah, it's okay." Jack smiled weakly at him, but it seemed a little more sincere than it was when he had first gotten there. "Talk to you later."

"Later."

* * *

A/N: So, this is where things start to get bad. Let me know what you think of how it's all going so far. Thank you for reading and reviewing.


	9. Chapter 9

Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. Keep them coming, the more, the better. I want to know what you all are thinking now that things have started to change in the story. Enjoy the new chapter!

* * *

"Oh, God, Jack, I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd have this reaction after all this time. I shouldn't have told you anything." Gray said after Jack told him everything about the previous day.

"No, it's okay, you were right to tell me. I need to be prepared if he tries anything." He added after a beat. "Did he say anything to you? Did he threaten you?"

"No, he didn't say anything. He seemed to be too busy gloating, as if he knew you had moved to get away from him." There was a pause, as if Gray was waiting for Jack to say anything. "He seemed to be as sick as before, Jack. Even if he didn't say anything, he creeped the hell out of me." Jack still didn't say anything. "Oh, Jack, I don't want you to go back to the way you were. Things were finally getting better for you. You deserve to finally have a happy life. I really shouldn't have said anything. It just felt so wrong to keep it from you."

"Gray, relax, you did the right thing. And even if he finds me, it's not like he's going to come all the way over here. I'm still safe." Jack told him, not believing a word he was saying. He just didn't want his brother to worry so much, or worse, feel guilty for what he'd told him. "I overreacted yesterday. I'm going to be fine." He hoped Gray wouldn't be able to tell he was lying.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Gray, I'm sure."

"You know we're all here for you if you need anything."

"I know, Gray. Thanks. Look, I gotta go. Hug mom and dad for me."

"Sure thing. Take care, Jack."

"You, too."

Jack felt extremely unsettled. John had developed all this power over him, and even if he hadn't tried anything yet, Jack could feel his overbearing presence, tainting his every move. He didn't want to lose what he'd gained while living in Cardiff either, but he didn't know how he could possibly relax again, now that he knew he still wasn't free. Then he remembered that morning. He was exhausted, and he could barely talk, but just being around Ianto had made him feel so much better. He felt calm, safe, comforted. Ianto had understood exactly what he needed, and Jack could feel his support even when he was busy doing his things. After the night he'd had, he never imagined that he would be able to feel so much better the next day. Of course, the situation wasn't even nearly solved, but just the idea that maybe this time things wouldn't be so hard because he had Ianto made him feel that much lighter. He felt like he never would be able to thank the younger man, just for being there. Then again, maybe that's what friendship was really all about, being there for each other without expecting anything in return. And Ianto was the best friend he'd ever had.

Jack had tried to keep his mind away from things the rest of the day. He tried reading, watching telly, listening to music, but he couldn't relax. He had developed such a natural response to John, that it was impossible to think about him without feeling terrorised. He fought this feeling all afternoon, but nothing made it better. Then the phone rang. And Jack smiled for the first time that afternoon.

"Hi, Yan."

"Hey, Jack. How are you doing?" God, just hearing Ianto's voice made the knot in his stomach dissolve a little.

"I'm doing okay. Trying to move on, I guess."

"Okay, that's good." He paused for a bit, and Jack kept silent. "I don't want to force you to talk or anything, I just wanted you to know that I'm still here."

"It's okay. I'm glad you called." Another pause. "How about you talk instead? How was your day?"

"Normal, I guess. Finished tidying the flat, went for a walk in the park, you know, to enjoy one of the three days of sun in the year." Both men laughed at that. "Oh, and I got an email, someone interested in lessons, so I might get another student. Which would make things a bit better."

"Oh, that's good. I hope it works out." Jack had everything so easy in that department, that he kept forgetting how much Ianto struggled just to keep up with basic expenses. Of course, Ianto being who he was, he never really showed that he was having any problems, which made it easier for Jack to ignore it completely. Not that it would make any difference if he did remember, it's not like Ianto would ever accept any kind of help. He'd thought about it, about trying to find him something in his company, but he knew Ianto would see it as Jack trying to do charity, and would end up more upset than grateful. So Jack just let it go.

"Yeah, me, too. Then I planned the lessons for the week, and now I'm ringing you."

"And what are you gonna do when we hang up?"

"Dunno. Watch telly maybe. Try to finish that book that seems to go on forever. Don't really care." They were both quiet for a while.

"Hey, Yan?"

"Yeah?"

"I know it probably didn't seem like it, but you really helped me this morning."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That was just what I needed, someone to be around. You're a great friend, and I'm truly grateful that you're in my life."

"I'm here for you, Jack. Anything you need, any time."

"Thank you." Jack looked outside the window, and noticed it was getting dark. Sudden fear gripped his heart again. He asked before he even knew what he was doing. "Hey, would you like to go to the cinema or something?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me just go see what's on." There was a pause, and Jack could hear Ianto moving around, and then typing on his laptop. "Okay, there's this French film I'd been meaning to see that's playing in one hour. Would that do?"

"Yeah, sure." Jack didn't really care what they watched, as long as he didn't have to be alone. "I'll pick you up in half an hour?"

"Okay, I'll be ready."

"See you soon."

"See you."

Jack was barely paying attention to what he was watching, but it didn't really matter. Just having Ianto beside him was calming him down, and that's what he needed. He was extremely disappointed when the film was over, because he knew he'd have to go home alone. He drove Ianto to his flat, and started preparing himself for the night ahead.

"Call if you need anything, okay?" Ianto said before leaving the car. "Any time, day or night. I mean it."

Jack almost asked. Ianto was there, offering. He could have asked him to go home with him, so he wouldn't have to be in that big house alone. _Stop it, Jack. Get a grip and stop being pathetic. You can take care of yourself. You don't need a babysitter._

"I will. Thanks for the company tonight."

"Any time. Good night, Jack."

"Night, Yan."

Jack had another terrible night. Every time he closed his eyes he'd see John, that maniacal look on his face, threats and more threats flowing from his mouth. If he fell asleep, he would have the same nightmare over and over, the one he'd started having when John had made the very first threats, the thing he kept imagining could happen at any time. A loud bang, excruciating pain, and blood flowing down his chest, until everything went dark. He would wake up screaming, covered in sweat, every time. John's words would still be floating in his head. 'You can't leave me, Jackie. I'll have you, or you won't see another day."

His week was even worse. He barely slept at night, and his performance at work was clearly suffering. He was exhausted, constantly distracted, and the clients were clearly getting more and more frustrated with him. Ianto called every night, and aside the usual 'how are you doing' he never asked Jack anything. He would just tell him about his day, and try to distract him. Jack was immensely grateful for that. He was amazed everyday with how understanding the other man was being. But that only helped while they were talking. Jack would relax and finally breathe a little, but as soon as they hung up, everything would come back to torment him. On Friday, his boss called Jack to his office.

"Okay, Jack, what's wrong with you?" His boss started, without as much as a greeting.

"I'm sorry?"

"Something is going on with you, and it's affecting your work. I need to know what's happening."

"Sorry, sir, I've been having some personal problems. I'm taking care of it, and it won't affect my work any more."

His boss sighed deeply. "Jack, I hate to have to tell you this. I can see that something's not right, and I wish I could help, but you're already on thin ice here. Even if your tutor has sent us a very promising review of your first six months, we can't live on promises alone. The clients are still a bit uncomfortable with you, even if they did recognise that you're making an effort, but this past week things have gotten a lot worse. I've gotten three different complaints. I have no doubts of how good you are at your job, and that's why you're still here, because I keep expecting that your relationship with the clients will get better, but I can't risk losing any of them. And that's what's going to happen if things continue the way they are."

Jack was completely shocked for a while. He knew things were bad, but not _that_ bad. He tried to recover quickly.

"I understand, sir, but I promise things are under control. This has been a bad week, but next week things will be back to normal, and I will improve my relationship with the clients. I guarantee it."

"I appreciate what you're saying, but I need results. Soon. I don't want to add to your problems, but you have to know, this is your last chance. I can only give you another month, or until I lose the first client. If you don't prove that what you're saying is true, I'm going to have to let you go."

"I'll prove it to you, sir. You can count on it." Jack said, trying to show a lot more confidence than he was feeling.

He left his boss' office feeling completely defeated. What would happen to him if he lost this job? Would he be able to find anything else in Cardiff? He was in such bad shape, would he be able to convince anyone to hire him? And if he couldn't, he would be forced to go back home, to live with his parents. Which, considering what had been breaking him in the first place, would be the exact opposite of a solution. He had no idea what to do. He worked through the rest of the day like a zombie, and he called Ianto as soon as he left the office. He was knocking at his door fifteen minutes later.

"Oh, God, Jack, I'm so sorry." Ianto said, after Jack recounted the entire conversation with his boss to him, and told him about not being able to sleep. "I had no idea things were so bad."

"I just... I didn't want you to worry more than you already were." _And I don't want you to think I'm weak. _"I just kept thinking that things would get better soon, that it wasn't so bad. I wasn't expecting to get this ultimatum. And now I don't know what to do."

"Well, first things first. I know this doctor, his father was our family doctor for years, until he retired. He took over his father's practice a few years ago. You can talk to him, I trust him completely. He can at least give you something to help you sleep."

"I... I didn't want to depend on medication again, you know? I wanted to deal with everything on my own." Jack said looking down.

"It's okay to need help sometimes, Jack." Ianto reached for his hand. "There's nothing wrong with you, every one needs an extra push every once in a while. It just so happens that in your case it might have to be medication, but that's okay." He got up to pick up a pad and pen. "Here, his name is Dr. Harper. I know he works Saturdays, so you can call him in the morning and he might even see you tomorrow." He paused for a while. "I can go with you if you want."

"No, it's okay. I can do it on my own. I don't need you to babysit me." Jack said, sounding defensive.

"I'm not. I'm just reminding you that you don't have to deal with this alone." Ianto replied, just as softly as he'd been talking to Jack the whole time.

"Thanks." Jack offered him a small smile, looking up a bit.

"Now, about work. Maybe regular sleep is all you need. Some rest, and everything might be better. If it's not enough, we'll figure something out. I promise you, everything's going to be okay. I'm gonna help you, okay?"

Jack just nodded.

The next day, Ianto got to Jack's house around one. Jack had called him to tell him that he'd made an appointment with Dr Harper for eleven, so he'd have to cancel the lesson, but he still wanted to meet him for lunch. Not that Ianto was any worried about the lesson, Jack clearly wasn't in any condition to focus on anything.

"So, how was it?" Ianto asked as soon as he sat at the kitchen table, taking the beer Jack had offered.

"It was okay. He's a bit snarky, but I could tell he's really good at what he does. He gave me some pills, told me to call if it doesn't get any better."

"Did you tell him? What's causing this, I mean."

"No..." Jack sighed. "I know I probably should have, but I just couldn't. I just told him I was having a few problems at work, and couldn't sleep because of the stress."

"Okay. Well, if the pills work, it won't make a difference anyway." Ianto smiled, trying to be reassuring. He wanted to tell Jack that if it didn't get better he would have to tell someone, but he didn't want to add to the pressure on him.

"I hope so."

Ianto waited a beat.

"Jack... I had an idea." He paused, as if considering if he should go on or not. "It might be a bit daft, and maybe it won't work, but... I don't know, I thought I'd tell you anyway. You can tell me if you think it's too ridiculous."

"Would you just tell me what it is, already?"

"Well, part of the problem at work is that some of the clients still don't trust you." He paused again, as if needing time to gain courage to say the rest.

"Yes..."

"And... I don't know, sometimes you say that I help you calm down a bit. That you feel better when you're with me."

"True..." Jack was wondering what one thing had to do with the other.

"Oh, forget it, it's too foolish."

"Just tell me, will you." Jack was getting exasperated.

"Okay." He took a deep breath. "I was thinking, what if I went to work with you? When you're meeting the clients, I mean. I could be your consultant, or something. It might help them relax, talking with someone with the same roots. Plus, I did study History and all that. Well, until I dropped out. Anyway, I could be like your partner or something, so they would know that you're willing to make up for your lack of knowledge." He paused to look at Jack, who was just staring at him. He thought he'd better just get it over with, now he'd started. "And maybe it could help with everything else, you know? Maybe my being there would help you focus more, and be more relaxed, more confident." He thought he sounded ridiculous saying that, assuming that he could have so much power over Jack. But he just wanted to be there for Jack, as much as possible. And if his presence could make a difference, than he was more than willing to offer it.

"But, but Ianto, you have your own job." Jack said, sounding confused. "And what would I even tell my boss, he barely wants me there, how could I convince him to take on someone else?"

"Well, I don't have that many students. And you don't see clients all the time. I'm sure we could work something out." He paused again, trying to gauge Jack's reaction. "And I would be doing it as a volunteer. No one has to pay me anything."

"Ianto! I could never do that to you. I'd feel like I'm exploiting you."

"But you wouldn't be, because I'm offering it. Please, Jack, I just want to help you. And it won't be for long, probably, it's just until you get your bearings again."

"No, Yan, it's too much. I can't let you do that."

"Please, Jack. I can't stand seeing you suffering like that and not being able to do anything. I feel so useless. Please let me help you."

"Yan..."

"Plus, it would be fun. I miss being around all that. I'd get to see all these sites you keep telling me about, and I'd be able to say that I helped make them better, helped protect history. If you think about it, I'm actually being selfish, taking advantage of your situation to do what I want." He added, tongue-in-cheek.

Jack actually laughed at that. It felt good to do that, it was the first time it'd happened since the other Saturday. He honestly didn't know what he'd do without Ianto.

"You're something else, you know that?" He said, still laughing, looking fondly at Ianto.

Ianto looked through his eyelashes at him. "Is that a yes?"

"That's an 'I'll think about it'." Jack said shaking his head good-naturedly. "I'll still have to talk to my boss. I'll have to explain what you're doing there."

"Okay."


	10. Chapter 10

Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. As always, truly appreciated.

A very special thank you to my wonderful new beta, **IceElf2008**, who is nothing short of a godsend.

Enjoy the new chapter!

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"Fine," Jack's boss finally said, after Jack had made his proposal. He had told him that he'd decided to hire his tutor as a consultant, to help him until things got better. He'd said that he would pay him from his own pocket, so it wouldn't create any extra expenses for the company. "If you're willing to do that, I think it's fair that I give you a chance. But know that I'm only doing this because I actually care about you, and I know you're going through a rough time."

"I know, sir. Thank you."

"And what I said before still stands. If we lose any clients..."

"I'm out the door. I know."

"Okay, then. Let's see if this tutor of yours can actually make things better."

"Congratulations, Ianto Jones," Jack said as soon as the other man picked up the phone. "You got yourself a new slave job," Jack grinned.

"He said yes?" Ianto could barely contain his excitement.

"He said yes. Now I'm going to need the schedule of your lessons, so I can arrange the meetings with the clients."

"Yes, sir."

"Sir?"

"Yeah, well, you're my boss now."

"I thought we were supposed to be partners."

"Oh, right. Huh. I actually like the idea of you being my boss. Never thought I'd say that, but you could do with an ego boost right now."

"Never saw anyone so excited about the idea of being bossed around for no money."

"You underestimate my selflessness, Jack Harkness."

"I guess I do," he chuckled.

"Right, I'm going to email you my schedule now. Talk to you soon."

"Okay. Hey, Yan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," Jack said sincerely.

"You're welcome, Jack."

The first few weeks went surprisingly well. Ianto never mentioned it to Jack, but despite being so insistent on making Jack accept his idea, he was deeply worried that it wouldn't work. He suspected that Jack was, too, and was only indulging him in his idea. He felt that both of them were just desperate, and using this as a last resort.

All the worries turned out to be misplaced. The clients took an immediate liking to Ianto, and many times Jack would have to insist on finishing the meeting, because they would get so engrossed in talks about the history of the sites, that they completely lost track of time. Also, Ianto had been right. Just the fact that Jack had brought him, made the clients start trusting him a lot more, as they realised that the difficulties Jack was having came more from lacking deep knowledge of the culture and history of Wales than a lack of concern for getting the job done as accurately as possible. Now they felt as if they had a liaison who would help them get their ideas across, they started trusting that Jack would get the job done. Besides that, Ianto's presence really did make a difference. Jack quickly became more relaxed and confident, and now that the clients weren't so averse to him, they actually started enjoying his presence and his personality. All in all, the clients had developed a major respect for the partners, and everything started going exceedingly well.

One day, after a particularly successful meeting, the clients having left smiling and laughing, seeming tremendously pleased with how everything was going (and making sure to let Jack's boss know how satisfied they were) Jack was called into his boss' office.

"Jack, I have to say, I really didn't expect your idea to work. I thought it was mad, and I just let you do it so I'd have a clear conscience knowing I helped you in any way I could. Now I'm pleasantly surprised. The clients are satisfied, not only appreciating both yours and Mr. Jones' work, but they're actually demanding that you stay with them until the job is done. I'm impressed," His boss was grinning widely.

"Thank you, sir. I'm very pleased things have been working out myself," Jack beamed.

"I can tell you, unless you find a way to completely mess things up – and I'm hoping you won't – you're out of the woods. You won't be losing yourjob any time soon."

"Oh, thank you, sir. I won't let you down, I promise. I cannot thank you enough."

"Don't thank me. Thank yourself and that consultant of yours. These past weeks you've shown that you more than deserve your place here."

Jack couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. He knew things were getting better, but he was still very insecure, and he didn't expect his boss to be this pleased, this soon. And it was all because of Ianto. As soon as he left the office, he went straight to Ianto's flat.

"Can I keep you?" Jack breathed, as soon as Ianto opened the door, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Why, what happened?" Ianto laughed, slightly out of breath, surprised by Jack's sudden embrace.

Jack let go, and walked into the flat. "The clients are happy, my boss knows, and I can keep my job," Jack grinned, the smile almost splitting his face in two.

"Really? I'm so happy for you!"

"Oh, Yan, it was all you," Jack hugged him again. "I'd be out on the street by now if you hadn't been there for me." Jack didn't let go this time. He kept holding Ianto, keeping him close.

Ianto was quite stunned. They really weren't the hugging type. In fact, they barely touched. Aside from a few times when they'd held each other's hands reassuringly, it never happened. It had started right at the beginning,when Jack had found out that Ianto was bothered by his attention and was trying to respect his space, and it had never changed, regardless of how close they'd become. What was stunning Ianto the most, though, was how he was feeling. He'd been encompassed by Jack's warmth and scent, and that made him feel all warm inside, in a kind of weird, non friendship-y way. When Jack finally let go a few moments later, Ianto actually mourned the loss of contact. He didn't pay any heed to those feelings, though. He was excited for Jack, and quickly changed his focus to the other man's success.

"I'm just glad I could help," Ianto smiled sincerely at him. "What do you say we go out and celebrate?"

"I think that's a great idea," he beamed.

"We never do this," Jack stated, as soon as they found a table and got themselves comfortable with their drinks. "Why don't we ever do this?"

"I don't know. Because we're a couple of lazy bastards who'd rather stay at yours than move a few hundred metres? There's always alcohol there anyway."

"Yeah, but coming to a pub is not just about the alcohol."

"It's not?" Ianto said jokingly.

"No, it's about being around different people, and movement, and music. You know, having fun."

"Again, lazy bastards. At least I know I am. Don't really need to be around people if I can have fun elsewhere."

"Either way, we should do this more often."

"Okay, then we will," Ianto smiled.

They had their first beer, quietly talking about nothing and everything, like they usually did. Then Jack went to get another round. That's when Ianto started thinking. He'd always assumed that if Jack went out, it would be to go on the pull. What with all the stories about the constant flirting, and the few times he'd actually witnessed it, he imagined it was only obvious. However, he'd Jack had barely looked around the pub once. Even now, going to the bar, he'd made a beeline to it, and focused entirely on the barman. To order. In fact, Ianto was fairly sure that Jack had been completely focused on him for at least 90% of the evening. Now he was intrigued, because come to think of it, all the time they'd been friends, Jack hadn't mentioned going out or hooking up with anyone once. Maybe he just wasn't telling him, but they told each other everything. Why would he be quiet about that? A more intriguing question: why was thinking about this making Ianto jealous?

Jack came back, and Ianto pushed all these thoughts aside. He considered asking Jack about it, but thought better of it, trying to pretend that it wasn't because he was scared of the answer.

After a few more pints, rational thought was beginning to leave Ianto's brain. Of course they usually drank when they were at Jack's, but he never got drunk. He was certainly getting there now. As he got looser, he got a lot more tactile, touching Jack's hands and arm constantly. He was also laughing a lot more, and about the silliest things. Jack seemed incredibly amused by the whole thing. It wasn't really common to see Ianto like that, even if they were so comfortable around each other, and Jack was enjoying every second of it. Then Ianto started to notice how gorgeous Jack was. The amusement brought a twinkle to Jack's eyes, those beautiful blue eyes, and he kept flashing Ianto that dazzling grin. Every time he touched Jack, Ianto felt his hand tingle, and he got butterflies in his stomach every time Jack looked directly at him. Jack just seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself, and he didn't seem to notice anything different about the way Ianto was treating him.

After a couple of hours, Jack decided they'd had enough fun.

"Okay, Yan, we have that early meeting tomorrow, so we'd better go home. I'll drop you off."

"Yeah, sure, let's go. But you're right, we should do this more often."

"Yeah," Jack laughed. "I certainly enjoyed seeing you like that."

Ianto just poked his tongue out at him, which made Jack let out a full on belly laugh.

xXxXx

Ianto woke up the next morning with a faint headache, and a weird feeling. He could remember everything he'd felt when he'd touched or looked at Jack, and it all felt profoundly strange, if not troubling. When had his perception of Jack changed like that? Was it just the alcohol? Or was there something else there? No, there couldn't be. They were just friends, weren't they? Yeah, of course they were. He quickly dismissed all his thoughts, assuming they had come from the severe haziness of his brain. He got up to get ready for 'work'.

Except they hadn't. Every time he met Jack that week the feelings returned. He was dazzled by Jack's smile, entranced by his eyes, he got butterflies every time they got too close. It was like a switch had been turned on in his brain, and he couldn't turn it off. The next Saturday they spent together had been impossible. Sometimes he thought he would have to physically restrain himself to keep him from touching Jack. That's all he could think about. Holding his hand, stroking his face, what Jack's lips would feel like on his, what he smelt like, what he'd look like naked, sweating, moaning. _Stop it, Ianto. Get it together. He's your friend._ Ianto was beginning to worry that he was being tremendously obvious, but throughout all that, Jack seemed to be none the wiser.

xXxXx

"Okay, Tosh, I hope you're happy." Ianto said by way of greeting. Tosh just looked at him, puzzled. "It took me a while to get here, but here I am. I'm attracted to Jack."

"Oh," was all Tosh could say.

"Actually, strike that. I'm ridiculously attracted to him. I can barely be around the man," he said exasperated.

"Ooookay... And that's bad because...?"

"Because we're friends. You're not supposed to feel like that about your friends."

"You know, I've always thought that the best relationships are based on strong friendships."

Ianto just glared at her. "Who said anything about a relationship? I don't even know if he feels the same way, and even if he does, who's to say it would develop like that? We could just ruin everything." He was almost yelling by the time he finished. He took a deep breath, then added softly. "He's one of my best friends, Tosh. I can't lose him."

"Maybe you could just talk to him. You're so close, I'm sure he'd be open to listen to you."

"And tell him what? 'Oh, hey, Jack, I don't know how it happened, but sometime in the last week I started seeing you differently. Now, every time we're alone I want to shag you so badly I can barely think straight. But, you know, no worries. It's perfectly okay if you don't feel the same. No, I'm not embarrassed. We can totally still be friends. It's not like you just completely crushed me or anything.'" Now he was yelling.

"Okay, now you're just being over dramatic. There's no reason to be embarrassed, even if it hurts you at first, I'm sure you'd get over it, and you know, maybe just phrase the part about the shagging better." Ianto just stared at her, miserably. "C'mon, you're both adults, you're great friends, you have immense respect and trust in each other. I'm sure you can deal with this, no matter the outcome."

He paused for a while, thoughtful, looking dejected. "Even if we can deal with it, it might make things difficult for a while. With everything he's been going through, I could never do that to him. He needs me."

"I thought he was doing better."

"He is, but whatever it is, it's still affecting him. I can see it in his eyes, even if he tries to pretend it's not there."

"Okay. But what if he does feel the same? You already help him so much. What if being with you is the thing that would help him get entirely better?"

"What if it's not?"

"Only one way of finding out."


	11. Chapter 11

I'm being lousy at replying to reviews, but I'm loving them! I'm so glad that everyone who wrote likes where the story is going, and I hope that you're not disappointed with what's coming.

Special thanks to **IceElf2008** for the wonderful beta job, and for making the final part of this chapter flow a whole lot better. I hope you all are pleased with the end results.

Enjoy!

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks, Ianto just tried to pretend that nothing had changed. He thought that if he just ignored his feelings, they'd go away and things would go back to normal. He was failing miserably. No matter what he tried, he couldn't see Jack the way he used to. He was getting desperate. And terrified. He really couldn't lose Jack, and he wouldn't want the other man to be alone either. Maybe Tosh had been right. He'd never know if he didn't talk to Jack. If he did feel the same way, maybe they could work something out. If he didn't, maybe that would help Ianto get over his feelings.

He decided that he would invite Jack to the pub the next Saturday. Maybe neutral territory would make things easier. Then they would talk and decide where to go from there. Either way, Ianto knew that he had to make it clear to Jack that nothing he said would change anything; he'd still be there for him no matter what. And Ianto knew that was true. Even if Jack turned him down, he would never abandon him. He might be hurt, but he'd get over any pain, or any feelings he might have, to continue helping Jack, for as long as he wanted him to.

The pub was almost full. It was lunchtime, but since it was a little secluded, it never got really crowded. They found a table and ordered their lunch. Ianto kept fidgeting, picking up everything on the table and putting it back where it'd been. When they brought their utensils, he got his napkin and started tearing small cuts around the entire border. Jack kept glancing at him, obviously noticing that something was wrong, but he didn't say anything. Their food arrived, and Ianto barely ate. He just kept pushing his food around the plate, but would only actually eat something every once in a while. When he did, he kept chewing the food for what seemed like forever before he actually swallowed. Jack was beginning to feel extremely concerned. After he had finished his meal and his beer, he turned to Ianto.

"Okay, Ianto, what is it? Why are you so nervous?"

"I, uh, it's, uh..."

Jack looked at him, expectantly, trying to encourage him to continue with his eyes.

Ianto hid his face in his hands. "Oh, God, this is so ridiculous."

"What is?"

Ianto groaned, pushing his plate forward and lowered his head to the table, hiding it with his hands and arms.

"You know, it's kinda hard to talk if I don't know what's going on," Jack tried.

"I jmmmt dmmommm knmmmm-" Ianto mumbled, his voice muffled because of his position.

"It's also hard to talk if I can't hear what you're saying."

Ianto raised his head from the table, keeping it hid in his hands.

"I... I don't know how to tell you this."

"Um, try just saying it? And please do, because you're starting to freak me out."

Ianto took a very deep breath. "I... S-so-sometime ago... I-I don't know what happened..."

"Ianto!" Jack was getting exasperated.

"I don't know how or why it happened but... I'm attracted to you," he muttered the last part under his breath, making it impossible to hear over the sounds of the pub.

"You hm hm what?"

Ianto took another very deep breath, and then just blurted it all out in one single breath. "I'm attracted to you, and I know it's ridiculous, and you probably don't feel the same way, even though you used to flirt with me, but I know you do that to everyone and it doesn't mean anything, and now you've stopped anyway, and I'm sorry, but I can't stop feeling like this, and I'm worried you'll get weirded out, but I still had to tell you, but I don't want things to change, and I'll always be your friend, but I still had to tell you, because maybe if you say you're not, which you obviously will, then maybe I can let it go, and I'm sorry, it's all my fault, but I promise I'll do everything not to let it affect our friendship, and oh, God, I'm so sorry." He kept his face hid behind his hands the whole time.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down."

Ianto groaned, lowering and hiding his head again.

"Ianto, please just look at me."

Ianto lifted his arm a bit so Jack could hear him. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because this is embarrassing."

Jack lowered his head to the table, holding Ianto's arm up so that he could look at him.

"Would you just stop with that and talk to me?"

"No," Ianto pouted.

"Fine, if you're gonna be like this," Jack remained in that ridiculous position, head resting on the table, holding Ianto's arm, trying to look him in the eyes. "First, I'm not weirded out. And second, who says I don't feel the same way?"

"What?" Ianto lifted his head a bit.

"Well, I do. I've always been attracted to you."

"You have?" Ianto finally had his head at an almost normal level.

"Yeah. So much so that it made me behave in that appalling way when we first met. I was so into you that I failed to notice that you were bothered by me. And then I stopped flirting because of that. I was just respecting your space. My feelings never changed, but our friendship is too important to jeopardise it by me making you uncomfortable."

"See, then you agree that it could jeopardise our friendship."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"That now that we feel the same way we can talk about it, and decide what we want to do. Together."

"Really?"

"Really. Now what do you say we go back to mine and talk about this where it's quiet?"

"Yeah, okay," Ianto replied, still incredibly nervous despite Jack's words.

xXxXx

"Do you want anything?" Jack asked as soon as they got inside the house.

"No, I'm fine, thanks," Ianto replied, headed towards the couch. He was a bundle of nerves. His mind was reeling, thinking of all the possible outcomes of this conversation and not a single one of them made him feel calmer.

"Okay. Let's talk, then," Jack followed Ianto to the couch, and sat beside him.

Ianto just stared at Jack, and not a single word would come out of his mouth. He had no idea what to say. Jack was looking back at him, but not really focusing, as if he was lost in thoughts. After a while Ianto broke eye contact, and started staring at his hands instead. Another moment passed, and Jack cleared his throat.

"Okay, when this happened to me before, this thing of being friends first, the situation was a lot different. So I don't really know how to go about it. All I know is that you matter a great deal to me, and I don't want to do anything that could hurt you in any way."

"Ditto on both counts." Ianto looked up again.

"Do you have any idea of what you'd _like _to do?"

"Well, if it were anyone else, I'd say I'd go for it and see what happens. Being you, I'm terrified of what might happen, worried that something might go wrong and change the way things are between us now, and I can't bear the thought of losing you."

"Well, it could change things between us in a good way..."

"Yeah, but it could also be terrible."

"What are you afraid might happen?"

"Well, one of us might realise that they weren't that attracted in the first place, and then the other will get hurt, or things might just get really awkward in general... Oh, I don't know! A whole number of things."

"Don't you think we're close enough, and comfortable enough with each other, and more importantly, that we trust each other enough to be able to deal with any of these scenarios?"

"That's what Tosh said."

"Huh, good to know someone's on my side."

"Your side?"

"I want this to happen, Yan. I mean, you don't have to feel pressured in any way. If you don't want this it's fine, really. I've been dealing with these feelings for a while without letting them interfere with our friendship, and I can keep doing it. But if-"

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, let's do this."

"Are you sure?" They both looked up at the same time, staring straight into each other's eyes. There was a glint of hope in Jack's.

"Yes, I'm sure," Ianto replied with a small smile. He'd no idea what would happen now. He just knew that he was getting lost in Jack's eyes, his head was buzzing, and his stomach was now somewhere around his feet.

Jack lifted his hand to run his fingers through Ianto's hair and stroked his cheek with his thumb. Ianto leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. It was as if electricity sparked everywhere Jack touched. They both leaned in, slowly, until they could feel their breath mingling. Jack moved his hand to Ianto's neck and pulled him closer. A shiver went down both men's spine as their lips touched, and then started moving, in an attempt to feel one another as much as possible.

When Jack's tongue brushed over his lips, Ianto immediately opened his mouth and darted his tongue out to meet it. Their tongues entangled, moving desperately, each trying to drink in as much of the other's taste as possible. Ianto's hands gripped the sides of Jack's shirt as if his life depended on it. He was getting caught up in the other man's heat, it was taking control of his whole body, and all he wanted was to hold Jack as close as possible with all his strength. Jack clung to him just as tightly, as if afraid that the other man might change his mind and try to escape. The feeling of Ianto's hands grabbing his shirt filled him with joy. Ianto was enjoying this amazing kiss as much as he was. It was almost too much, Jack felt like he was about to explode. He never wanted to let Ianto go. Apparently Ianto felt the same, because he just clutched Jack even tighter, and moved his tongue deeper into Jack's mouth. They knew that they would soon run out of breath, but they refused to break apart. The whole world had stopped, and nothing was more important than fusing into each other. They seemed to fit perfectly, and both men were sure that nothing had ever felt this good before. They moaned into each other's mouths, unable to control themselves. Finally, when the need for air was too strong, they started pulling apart, slowly, trying to prolong the moment as much as possible. They rested their foreheads against one another, and sat there, catching their breath, letting them mix.

"Wow," both men said at the same time, after a while. They laughed, still holding each other as they were before, with Jack's thumbs stroking Ianto's cheeks. Ianto relaxed his grip, and his fingers moved to rest on Jack's waist.

"I don't know about you, but I definitely want to do more of that," Jack said, still a little breathless.

"Uh... yeah... me... too," Ianto tried to reply, completely dazed and out of it. He could still feel Jack's lips on his, and he hoped the feeling would stay there forever.

Jack moved slowly, peppering kisses along Ianto's jaw and down his neck. He nuzzled the nape of Ianto's neck, smelling his hair, and just that was enough to make Ianto let out a deep moan. Ianto felt like his skin was raw, and every touch, every breath, sent sparks flying through his whole body. Jack moved his hands slowly down Ianto's back, and covered Ianto's neck with wet kisses. Ianto was melting under Jack's touches, letting his head fall down and rest on Jack's shoulder. Jack pulled Ianto's shirt from the back of his trousers, and the feeling of Jack's hand on his bare skin made Ianto shudder. He gathered all the strength he had to tell Jack that they should go to his bedroom, perfectly aware that very soon he wouldn't be able to stand any more.

They got to the bedroom, and Jack gently helped Ianto lie on the bed. He hovered over the younger man, undoing the buttons on Ianto's shirt. Ianto wanted to help, but he was too caught up in the feeling of Jack's fingers gently touching his chest. He made the effort to get his torso half up, so Jack could completely remove his shirt. Jack moved back, removing his own shirt and Ianto was mesmerised, watching Jack slowly reveal his perfectly toned chest. Ianto's mouth was dry, and he couldn't help licking his lips, wanting Jack to finish undressing already, so he could lick him. Jack, however, had other plans. He took off his shirt and moved to kiss Ianto. He passed over Ianto's mouth by a centimetre, making Ianto whine, desperate for that touch. Jack, too happy teasing the man, moved fast to kiss Ianto's neck again, before the other man could pull him back. He nipped his neck, leaving tiny love bites, and then licked its whole length.

"Oh, God, Jack," Ianto moaned, bringing his hands to thread in Jack's hair, gripping tight, wanting to keep him close. Jack bit Ianto's collarbone hard, making the other man moan in pleasure, and started moving down Ianto's chest. He kissed and bit and licked, letting his hands roam up and down Ianto's sides, delighted by the way Ianto writhed below him. Jack reached Ianto's trousers, unbuckled his belt and pulled down the zip, purposefully brushing Ianto's cock, which was already achingly hard, making the younger man jerk his hips and moan loudly. He pulled both Ianto's trousers and underpants down together, not wanting to delay what was to come next any longer. He marvelled at the sight before him. Ianto looked gorgeous, flushed, slowly moving his hips pleading to be touched, his big, beautiful cock just asking to be licked. And Jack did. He moved his tongue along the whole length of Ianto's cock, and swallowed it whole, in one swift movement.

"OH, GOD!" Ianto screamed, bucking his hips, unable to control his movements, his body dominated by the pleasure Jack was bringing him. "Fuck, Jack! Oh, God!"

Jack licked and sucked with enthusiasm, incited by Ianto's moans and screams. Ianto was already seeing stars; his whole body was tingling, trembling. He bucked his hips, trying to push further down Jack's throat, completely forgetting to be careful with him.

This didn't bother Jack in the least, on the contrary, he was exhilarated by how aroused Ianto was, and proceeded to deep-throat him, sucking with even more determination. He just let Ianto fuck his mouth, getting impossibly turned on just hearing the obscene noises Ianto was making. Jack was rubbing himself against the sheet, thinking he might come just then, when he heard Ianto scream.

"God, Jack, please fuck me! I need you to fuck me!"

Jack was more than happy to oblige, getting lube and condoms from the bedside table and lying beside Ianto in a flash. He poured lube in his hand, and proceeded to insert one finger into Ianto's hole, incapable of wasting any time with teasing at this point. He stared into Ianto's eyes while he prepared him, one finger, then two, then three, amazed with how much passion, desire, lust he could see there. Still, in the midst of it all, Ianto stared back, and Jack felt as if Ianto could see into his soul, all the while opening up to Jack completely at that moment Jack felt as if they were one person, sharing everything they were in that one look. Jack was overwhelmed, and he felt tears forming in his eyes. Ianto's eyes were sparkling with unshed tears, too, but he never stopped moving and moaning and writhing with Jack's motions. Jack couldn't help but admire the way Ianto could show the innocence of an angel while moving in the most erotic way possible, all at the same time.

"I'm ready, Jack," Ianto breathed out with a shudder. "Please, I need you inside me."

Jack put on the condom quickly and poured lube on it, then positioned himself between Ianto's legs, and started pushing inside him, slowly to give Ianto time to adjust. Ianto was so turned on and relaxed that Jack slid into him easily, and Ianto was already pushing back, forcing Jack to move.

"God, Ianto, you feel so fucking good."

"Then take me, Jack. Take me hard," Ianto moved his hips as if to emphasise his words, and Jack couldn't hold back any more, and he started thrusting into Ianto, as deeply and hard as he possibly could. He changed his angle to hit Ianto's prostate every time, and Ianto screamed, and moaned, and Jack was getting lost in Ianto's voice. He didn't even know what he was doing any more, he just knew that even if he died right then, it would have been worth it. Ianto held Jack close, and dug his nails into his back, dragging them down and then grabbin his arse. He pulled him closer desperately. "God, Jack, don't ever stop fucking me."

Jack laughed and started thrusting even harder while burying his face in the crook of Ianto's neck. Ianto met each of his movements, and he licked and bit Jack wherever he could reach. The air around them was a mess of grunts and moans, and 'oh, fuck's and 'oh, God's repeated by both of them.

"Jack, I can't... I'm gonna..."

Jack lifted his head so he could see Ianto's face. "Come for me, Yan. I want to watch you come."

"Ohhh, Jaaack!" Ianto moaned and screamed and then he was trembling and shaking and covering his stomach with his cum, a look of pure ecstasy on his face.

Jack felt Ianto clenching around his cock, and he felt the pull inside him growing stronger. The last remnants of Ianto's moans hung in the air, making it impossible for him to hold on even if he had wanted to. He came hard, endlessly inside Ianto. "Oh, God!" His scream was long and drawn out and when he collapsed on top of Ianto, not an ounce of strength left in him.

They lay there for a long time, not moving, trying to recover, waiting for the room to stop spinning around them, to be able to feel their bodies which, for now, seemed ethereal. It was only when Ianto noticed that he couldn't really breathe with Jack on top of him that he forced him to move. He slowly got up, unsteady on his feet, and got a cloth from the bathroom to clean them. When he was done, he flopped back beside Jack, pulled him close and went to sleep with his head resting on Jack's shoulder and their legs entangled.

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to **MaddyR. **Thanks for the encouragement, the last part wouldn't have happened without you. I hope it was worth it.


	12. Chapter 12

As always, thank you for reviewing and for sticking with me until now. I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.

Thanks to my beta **IceElf2008** for making everything flow better and for all the support.

* * *

Jack woke first. For a moment, he just lay there, looking at Ianto. He was still trying to wrap his mind around what had happened – he'd wanted Ianto for so long, but he never thought anything would ever happen. It was just something that was constantly in the back of his mind, that he didn't – couldn't – pay any heed to. It was like a wild dream, like going into space or something, one you thought about it once in a while, wistfully, but knew it was impossible and you were fine with that. He'd become used to being just friends with him. In fact, he would never call it 'just' friends. He was extremely grateful for the presence of the younger man in his life. Ianto had made his life so much better, helped him in so many ways, and that made him feel truly blessed. Jack often thought that wanting more than that bordered on sacrilegious.

But then, just a few hours before, everything had changed. Jack still didn't know how he'd kept so calm during the entire conversation. Inside, his head was swirling, his stomach doing flip flops, and his heart thundering in his chest. When Ianto said he was actually attracted to him, he'd had to do a double take. It took him a while to figure out how to reply to that as it was such an unthinkable thing. He was surprised that Ianto hadn't noticed that it was taking forever for Jack to react to everything that he was saying, but it was probably because he was too nervous himself. Speaking of which, how adorable was he? He looked so innocent, completely embarrassed, and Jack thought it was the cutest thing ever. If he didn't have feelings for the man before, he'd would have started to, just then.

Now here he was, looking at that beautiful, amazing man lying in front of him, sleeping peacefully, a small smile gracing his almost angelic face. He could easily say that he'd just had the best sex of his entire life. He couldn't even call it sex, it was so much more than that. It had been spectacular and passionate and yet intimate, as if they were opening each other up completely, sharing with each other everything they had. He'd never felt anything like it before.

It was scaring the hell out of him. He really didn't think he could go back to the way things were. He wanted to share everything with Ianto, he wanted to be with him, heart, body, mind and soul. What if Ianto didn't feel the same? What if he'd been satisfied with just the one experience, and didn't want anything else? Even if he did feel the same, there were still things he didn't know about Jack. Jack was perfectly aware that those things could be a total deal breaker. If Ianto wanted to be with him, he should know everything. He should know what he would be getting himself into.

At that moment, Ianto stirred beside Jack. He looked around to face him, and smiled.

"Hey," Ianto murmured softly, still half asleep.

"D'you know that you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen?"

"Then you've clearly never looked in a mirror."

"I have, and you're still the most beautiful man I've ever seen."

Ianto smiled lazily, blushing a little. "Come here," he pulled Jack closer, so he could kiss him. Jack returned the kiss, but pulled back shortly after.

"Are you trying to shut me up?"

"Yep."

"You can try, but you're way too amazing for me not to mention it every once in a while."

"Oh, God, Jack, stop that."

"It's not my fault if you're perfect..."

"I'm hardly perfect," Ianto replied, the blush covering his entire face now.

"You are to me," Jack looked at him with a goofy smile on his face, completely smitten.

"Okay, come back here. Now I _really _need to shut you up," they started kissing again. This time, Jack didn't feel the slightest need to pull away, and they just kept going. They lost themselves in the kiss and only broke apart a long time later. They kept their eyes closed, still holding each other.

"Yan, do you... Do you think you'll regret it? What just happened?" Jack asked, opening his eyes to look at Ianto.

"Not in a million years. You?" Ianto didn't open his eyes, snuggling closer to Jack instinctively.

"No way. It's probably the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Hmmm. Good," Ianto buried his face under Jack's chin, apparently considering the conversation over. Jack, however, didn't want to let it go.

"Yan?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think things might get awkward?"

Ianto pulled his head back in surprise, looking at Jack now. "Why would things be awkward if we're gonna be tog...? He hesitated and turned away from Jack. "Oh. I just assumed... because it all went so great, I just thought... but if you don't want to..."

"Yan, if you want to be with me, I want to be with you."

Ianto smiled in relief. "I want to be with you."

Jack smiled back, also relieved. It didn't last long before it was replaced by concern and guilt.

"Yan, if we're gonna... If we're going to be together, I need to tell you everything."

Ianto looked at him, confused. "Everything...?" Then it dawned on him. "Oh, everything. Right. Okay. Are you sure? Because you don't have to, I understand-"

"Yeah, I do. Before I was just protecting a private part of myself, but now I just feel like I'd be lying to you. Your opinion of me might change when you know what happened, and you deserve to know what you're getting yourself into."

"I sincerely doubt that my opinion will change, but if you want to tell me, okay, then I want to listen. Just... What time is it? I should call Tosh and tell her I can't make it to dinner."

"Oh. No. I completely forgot about that. You should go, I can tell you another time."

"Jack, I'm staying. I've never left you alone before, I'm not about to start now. Let me just call her. She'll understand."

Twenty minutes later they were dressed and sitting at the kitchen table, each with a cup of coffee in hand.

"Okay, this will be long and complicated, so I'll just start at the beginning and go from there."

"Okay."

"D'you remember that I told you that I used to be really close to my family, but I started drifting apart when I was a teenager?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's pretty much when it all started. First year of high school, I met this guy, John Hart." Ianto didn't fail to notice that Jack shivered slightly when he said the name. "He was reallly attractive. I don't mean that just in a handsome kind of way, though he was that, too, but in that he was the kind of person that you wanted to be around. He was also a real ladies' man, even at fifteen. Well, he was a guys' man, too, although that he tried to cover up a bit. Rumours where that if he wanted someone, he'd get them. He was amazing, and popular, everyone wanted to be his friend, and for some reason, he chose me. I could never figure out why, but I felt wonderful. I was special because he chose me. He made me feel interesting, and wanted, and I felt extremely lucky.

"I wouldn't say that I was shy at the time, but I wasn't exactly outgoing either. I was used to it being just me and my family. I mean, of course I had friends, but my family and I were so close that many times I'd choose them over my friends. That made me kind of lonely at school, but I didn't really care. But once John started paying attention to me, it was like I saw a whole new world. The way he was, the life he had, he made it seem so fascinating, and thrilling. He made me want to be a part of that. And he helped me become like him. I was already considered very handsome, I just didn't know how to use that. He taught, or at least encouraged me to flirt, to seduce, and it didn't take long for me to be like him, over-confident, getting anyone I wanted.

"I guess considering just that, it doesn't seem like such a big deal," Ianto nodded. "I mean, I was always careful and everything, so what if I was having some fun? Except John was mixed up with a kind of bad crowd. In the beginning it didn't seem so bad, just the odd weed dealer, or something. But with time it just got worse and worse. He started hanging out with people who took, and dealt, heavier drugs, and he started shoplifting to help him pay for his habits. At first it was CDs or something, things he could trade or sell to buy drugs. But it got heavier. He started breaking into places, to steal TV's and stereos, and stuff like that. I was never involved, but I didn't really mind it either. I admired him so much, idolized him even, that it didn't even occur to me that I should be questioning what he was doing.

"By then, I had completely abandoned my family." Jack kept talking almost non-stop. He was afraid that if he took any pauses, he would lose all his courage and stop talking altogether. "That started happening our senior year of high school. When I went to college, I moved out and cut ties with them completely. To this day, I have no idea how John managed that, but when I moved out I would say to anyone who asked that I hated my family. So, really, there was no one around to help me see some sense. And I just got in deeper and deeper. I started stealing stuff, too, and we got arrested a few times. This was a very loyal crowd, so someone would always bail us out. I was drinking heavily, taking drugs -nothing too heavy, but still- and I wasn't so worried about being careful any more. I was extremely lucky that nothing serious ever happened to me. That is, that I didn't get sick, I mean. I could've fucked up my whole life," Jack took a furtive glance at Ianto, gauging how he was taking everything. Ianto was quiet, apparently just holding out any judgement. Jack thought that it was better than him running out the door. He had considered that it might happen.

"Senior year of college," Jack continued, "We started sleeping together. Don't really know how that happened, it just did. At first it was casual, it would happen every once in a while. About a year later, we made it official. Well, in the sense that he would introduce us as boyfriends, and so did I. We became exclusive, and I was really happy. Or so I thought. Turns out John was still sleeping around, I just didn't know about it" He paused to emphasise his next point. "At first. Then I just pretended I didn't see it. Didn't want to burst my own bubble and all that. He didn't really want to be exclusive, he just wanted to be able to control me. John had become extremely possessive of me. He got extremely jealous if I even talked to anyone that wasn't part of our group, and even with them he would be always watching over my shoulder, making sure there was no flirting involved. I actually thought that was flattering at first," Jack let out a sarcastic laugh, "Thinking that it was nice that he wanted me just for himself.

Jack took a very deep breath. "Then the threats started, although I was in too deep to notice at the time that that was what they were. I was working by then, and like now, I had to deal with a lot of clients. John would make it very clear that I wasn't to ever make a move on any of them, and that he had people watching me. He said his gang would always be more loyal to him than to me, and if he ever wanted something to happen to me, all he needed was to make a phone call, and no one would ever know. They could easily make it look like an accident. That should have been enough for me to realise that what was happening wasn't okay, but I was too in love with him to let myself acknowledge that. Denial is a very powerful thing.

"That lasted for about three years. Then the penny dropped. I have no idea what made it happen. I think it was a combination of things. Something I saw on TV, then some comment heard on the street, then something John had said would pop in my head, and I finally – slowly – realised that what was happening wasn't good for me. Little by little I started remembering everything that had happened in the past years, and I was shocked to realise that I was actually being abused. And then I felt like shit. I felt weak and worthless. How could I have let that happen? I'm a man. I'm bigger and stronger than John. How could I have possibly been threatened by him? This kind of thing only happens to women, right? Then I decided to man up and leave him. I wasn't gonna take that shit any more." Jack sounded almost confident again, showing strength. He could remember how he'd felt when he figured everything out and believed he could get out of it.

"One night I confronted John. I told him it was over, and that I was leaving in the morning. And he laughed at me."

Jack could see the whole scene replay before his eyes as if it'd happened the day before:

_"'Oh, Jackie,' John said, 'You can never leave me. You're mine until I say otherwise. If you try anything, if you try to go, or if you try to hurt me, my little friends will find you. They will hurt you, then they'll kill you. Oh, wait, did I say they'd hurt you? I'm sorry, I meant your family. They're going to find your mom, your dad, that little brother of yours and they're going to torture them, in front of you, until they're dead. And then you're gonna die. How's that sound?' _Jack could still see the look on John's face, this sick, cold look, that terrified him to his very core. John's final words were the last nail on the coffin of his freedom._ 'You can't leave me, Jackie. I'll have you, or you won't see another day.'"_

Jack's whole body shuddered as he remembered. He tried really hard to maintain his composure while he related to Ianto what he was practically seeing in front of him. He had to take a very deep breath to be able to finish telling Ianto the story.

"After that, I was in a constant state of fear, and I felt completely helpless. I felt even more worthless and weak, and all of that was destroying me. I started losing weight, I was subdued all the time, and I got deeply depressed. It didn't take too long for my boss to notice. About six months later, he started questioning me, asking what was going on. I tried to avoid the questions as best I could, but he wouldn't give in. John Smith, his name is. Friend of the family since forever, watched me grow up. He kept telling me that he was worried and he wanted to help, but also that my performance was declining quickly, and soon he'd have to do something about that." Jack sighed. "A few months later, I finally told him. Not in as many details, but enough for him to understand the gravity of the situation. The first thing he did was move me to a desk job, so I wouldn't have to meet with clients. He thought I'd be more protected that way, and it wouldn't matter so much how I looked or behaved. And he was more than willing to overlook my compromised performance. Amazing man, I owe him a lot. Then he tried to convince me to go to the police. I refused for the longest time, thinking that enough people were aware of my weakness, and I didn't need to share it with anyone else. He finally convinced me that it was probably my only way out of that situation, and that I had to try. So I did. I was scared shitless, worried that John would find out that I'd gone. But I went anyway. And it was awful. No one ever believed me, and more often than not I was laughed at, mocked for being so desperate for attention that I felt the need to make up such a lie. After a few tries, I just gave up.

"Finally, two years after I confronted John, I 'lucked out'. He found someone else, and got bored of me. He said that I had become too ugly for him anyway, and he didn't want to be seen or connected to me any more, so he let me go. Said he would leave me alone, his new boyfriend was a lot of fun, unlike me, and he couldn't be bothered to care about me. But he obviously couldn't leave it at that. The last time I saw him, he made sure to remind me that he knew where my family lived, that he would always be able to find me, and he might want to remember the old times sometime in the future. '_You still belong to me, Jackie', _he said. _'I may not want you, but I'll never let anyone else have you either. Not that anyone would want you anyway. You're disgusting._'" Jack repeated John's words, a look of terror and extreme pain on his face.

"I moved back in with my parents, but things never got back to the way they were before. It took me a long time to tell them what happened, and I told them as little as possible. I only told them that my old high school friend was now threatening me, with very few details. You're the only person I've ever had the courage to tell this much. I couldn't let them in, couldn't let them know how weak I was, couldn't let them judge me. They accepted it all, and offered me support but it didn't change how I felt, like I had betrayed them, disappointed them.

"Anyway, things started getting a little better. I started gaining weight again, I could focus on work a little better, but I was still in a constant state of fear. If I saw anyone on the street that slightly resembled John, I'd have a panic attack. John Smith knew about that, and he was still worried about me. That's why a year later he arranged for me to be transferred here. He hoped that moving so far away would finally help me get over what had happened.

"And it worked. I started feeling a lot more confident, I was finally able to breathe again, and after a while I was my old self again. Flirty, carefree, one could almost say happy. Until a few months ago. Remember that day you were here and I got that text message and I freaked out?" Ianto nodded. "Of course you remember. Anyway, that was my brother. He said he'd seen John on the street, and that he'd told him that I had moved. He thought it would make it better, that John would finally let everything go. But my brother said that when John heard that he got a look on his face, like he knew I was only hiding from him, and he said that he could have a lot of fun trying to find me. And I panicked. That's what's been bothering me since then. I keep fearing that he will eventually find me and come after me."

Jack looked up then. He hadn't shed a single tear, even though he thought the whole tale called for it. But Ianto was already hearing how pathetic he was, he didn't need to see it, too. He kept his gaze on Ianto, waiting for his reaction, even though he was terrified of what it might be. He expected to see judgement, maybe pity, or disgust. He wouldn't even be surprised if the man just left. Part of him kind of expected that, if he was honest with himself.

Ianto looked at Jack. He sat there quietly for a while, waiting to make sure Jack had finished talking. When it was clear he wasn't going to say anything else, Ianto got up. He sat on the chair beside Jack, got as close to him as possible, and he held him. He held him tight. He kissed Jack's hair, and moved his hand up and down Jack's arm over and over. At first Jack stiffened, but slowly he started to relax. Ianto kept doing the same thing for a really long time, trying to bring Jack some comfort. After several minutes, he moved back a bit so he could look at Jack.

"Jack, can I ask you something?" He asked softly.

"Yeah," Ianto could hear fear in Jack's voice.

"Please don't get me wrong, I feel deeply honoured – if that's the right word – that you trusted me enough to tell me all this. But... Why did you think you _had _to tell me? Today, of all days?"

"Because I'm not who you think I am. You keep treating me as if I'm this wonderful, special person, but I'm not. I have this terrible past, and it's all my fault, because I was too foolish to realise what was happening, and then I was too weak to deal with it. I'm completely worthless. I'm a piece of garbage that you throw away after you've used what you needed. I'm damaged, Ianto. I'm broken."

"Please don't talk about yourself like that," tears were rolling down Ianto's face. Jack ignored him.

"I kept making excuses when we were just friends, telling myself that I was entitled to keep it private, that it didn't affect you anyway. But now, you said you want to be with me. And I just had to tell you because I know that now you know everything... you won't."

"What would make you say that?!" Ianto asked, pulling away in shock. "Of course I want to be with you!"

"But, Yan... As much as I want that... I have to be honest. You deserve better than me."

"No, I don't! You're... Do you want to know what I'm thinking now that you've told me everything?"

Jack just looked at him, looking miserable, defeated. Ianto looked straight into his eyes.

"I think you're a hero, right up the alley of those heroes in your stories, if not better. I think you're incredibly brave and strong and yes, special. You endured something terrible, for years, and you kept going. You tried to get away from him, and you never gave up. You went to the police, terrified, but you did. And you went again and again. When you were offered a chance to start over, you took it. You did your best to overcome what had happened to you, and you succeeded. Considering everything you've been through, no one would fault you if you had become hardened, or distanced. But you're kind and caring and fun and trusting. You're beautiful, Jack. You're so beautiful. And you think I deserve better? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I was already proud to call you my best friend and now I'll be proud to call you my boyfriend."

Jack was staring at Ianto the whole time, slightly stunned. He had no idea how to react, he wasn't really sure if he even believed any of it, it was just so hard. He just leaned forward, and hugged Ianto, as tightly as he could. Even if he wasn't sure, he wanted to pretend it was all true. He needed that. He needed Ianto, so much. They stayed there, for the longest time. Finally Jack said, not letting go.

"You really mean all that?"

"Yes, Jack, I do. Every word."

They kept their hold on each other a while longer. Then Ianto pulled back a little, and kissed Jack softly. He ran his fingers lightly through Jack's hair, and stroked his cheek with his thumb.

"I want to make you feel better," Ianto whispered. "I want to make up for everything that bastard ever did to you. You deserve that," he kissed Jack again, not giving him any chance to reply.

It took them forever to break the kiss, and even then it was reluctantly. They never stopped touching each other. They were both thoughtful for a while.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Um... You don't have to do this if you don't want to, but... I have this mate, well, had, well, have-"

"Ianto."

"Sorry. We played rugby together when I was in Uni. We kinda lost touch, I don't think I've talked to him since I dropped out, but he's a great lad. Anyway, his fiancée – well, I suppose she's probably his wife now – works in the police. I met her a few times. She's a really nice woman, kind, sensitive, but also really competent and strong – well, strong-headed, more like it," Ianto blurted out in one single breath, worried that Jack wouldn't let him finish. He glanced at Jack briefly, and kept going. "I was just thinking that maybe... I mean, I know no one helped you back in the US, but maybe here... maybe it would be worth another try."

"You think I should try going to the police again?" Jack asked dubiously.

"Well... Yeah," Ianto looked at his hands briefly, then looked up again. "Maybe it won't make any difference, maybe nothing will come out of it again... But what if it does? What if here someone is able to help you?"

"Would you go with me?" Jack asked, sounding like a scared little boy.

"Of course," Ianto squeezed Jack's hands. "I'll be with you every step of the way, no matter what happens."

"Okay, then. Let's try," Jack smiled weakly.

"I know you're scared, Jack. But you have me now. You don't have to do this alone any more," Ianto reached over to kiss Jack's temple, his hand pulling Jack's head closer, keeping his lips there for a moment.

"Thanks, Ianto," Jack replied, relaxing a bit with Ianto's touch.

"I'll give them a call on Monday, okay?" Ianto said. Jack just nodded.


	13. Chapter 13

Thank you for the alerts and reviews! They make me happy and I like being happy. :)

Special thanks to my beta **IceElf2008**.

* * *

"Ianto, it's so nice to see you again. It's been so long." Gwen Cooper greeted Ianto, reaching out to hug him. She received them in her new office having recently started her new position as a detective. All of them were assigned private rooms, to help keep their job as discreet as was required.

"Hi, Gwen. It's really nice to see you, too." Ianto reciprocated the hug, somewhat surprised that she still kept that level of familiarity with him.

"It's a shame we never saw each other again. Rhys and I have very fond memories of you."

"So do I. I suppose that's mostly my fault. I sort of dropped off the face of the Earth after dropping out."

"Now, now, no need to assess blame. Maybe we can correct that soon, yeah?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

"So how can I help you?" Gwen said, finally turning to look at the man beside Ianto.

"This is my boyfriend, Jack Harkness." Gwen offered her hand, which Jack shook. "We are dealing with a somewhat difficult situation. We were hoping you could help us with it, or at least point us in the right direction."

"Okay, I'll do my best. What's going on?"

Jack and Ianto shared a look. Jack looked terrified, and Ianto tried to look reassuring. He squeezed Jack's hand.

"It's okay, Jack. You can tell her."

Jack hesitated for a while, until he finally took a deep breath, and began telling Gwen everything he'd told Ianto, albeit a slightly summarised version. He would never be able to give her so many details, relive everything again. Gwen's expression was turning more and more serious as Jack told her his story.

"Oh, Mr. Harkness, I'm so sorry." She said as soon as he finished. "You are dealing with a very concerning situation, and I apologise on behalf of my brethren back in the US for the way they've treated you."

"So you believe me, then?" Jack said incredulously.

"Of course I believe you. I've seen cases like this before. I wasn't assigned to any of them, but I've seen what happens when victims aren't taken seriously." Jack cringed at the use of the word 'victim'. "And even if I hadn't, your body language more than tells me you're not lying."

"Does that mean you can help us?" Ianto asked.

"I have to be honest with you. My hands are considerably tied in this case. For starters, there's not a lot of evidence. And secondly, it's outside my jurisdiction." Both Ianto and Jack sighed, their shoulders sagging as the hope was crushed after all of five seconds. "That doesn't mean I'll leave you hanging, though. I'd never turn my back on a friend, or on someone who clearly needs help. I have a few privileges now that I am a detective, and I intend to use every single one of them."

"Well, that's already a whole lot more help than I've ever had. So what can you do?" Jack asked, daring to feel hopeful again.

"Firstly, if you don't mind, I'd like to put a bug on your phones, both your land line and your mobile. That way, if Hart does contact you, I'll have a bit more evidence I can use. Secondly, I'll put a tail on him. Track his moves, so at least I can know if he finds you, and if he tries to come here. I don't know yet what I'll be able to do if he does, but in the very least I'll be able to give you a heads up."

"No, of course I don't mind. Do whatever you have to do. I'm still stunned that you actually believe me, let alone that you're willing to help. I'll let you do anything you need."

"Great. I'll send my most trustworthy officer, PC Davidson, to your house this afternoon, to put the bugs in, if that's all right with you."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there."

"If Hart does contact you, get in touch with me immediately. I won't keep track of all your calls, so you'll have your privacy, but they'll all be recorded so we can check the important ones. I guarantee you that anything that's not relevant to the case will be destroyed."

"At this point I don't even care about my privacy any more, but thank you."

"And I'll put everything else in motion right away. By tomorrow morning, I'll be able to tell where Hart is at any given moment, and I'll have all his calls intercepted. It will take a while, but at some point I'll also start tracking his closest associates, as soon as I've identified who they are."

"Can you really do all that?" Asked Ianto, quite astounded.

"Yes, Ianto, I can. I have contacts who can do pretty much anything I need. They didn't give me this position for nothing," she said quite smugly. "Of course, no one else has to know I'm doing any of that." She winked at them.

"Honestly, Gwen, I can't thank you enough. This is already a lot more than both of us expected," Ianto said, getting up to give Gwen a tight hug, completely out of character for him, but he thought that this particular situation called for it.

"Yes, Ms. Cooper, thank you," Jack said, getting up as well, offering his hand. "I didn't expect to be heard, I can't even believe I'm finally getting some help." Jack shook her hand firmly, his eyes expressing his gratitude more than his words could.

"Don't worry, Mr. Harkness. You're not going through all this alone any more," Gwen said, accepting Jack's hand shake.

xXxXx

"So, how are you feeling?" Ianto asked as soon as they left the station.

"Honestly? Like I'm dreaming. I've had the door slammed on my face so many times when I looked for help, that I honestly didn't think anything would change. I only came here to humour you. And I still can't believe she actually believed me. And she's actually going to try to help." Jack had a dazed expression on his face, as if he was trying to wake up. "I owe you, Ianto. Things might actually change this time, because of you." Jack pulled Ianto into a hug, still a bit out of it. Ianto hugged back, tightly.

"You owe me nothing. We're together now. Whatever hurts you, hurts me, too. And we deal with it together," Ianto whispered in Jack's ear. Then he pulled back a little, so he could look into Jack's eyes. "What do you say we take the rest of the day off, and go celebrate? And by celebrate I mean go back to yours and spend the rest of the afternoon in bed."

Jack chuckled. "I'd like that, yeah."

xXxXx

Life was going well for Jack and Ianto. Two months had passed, and their relationship was blooming. They were spending all the free time they had together (aside from Ianto's dinner with Tosh, which he kept religiously), and the change in their relationship brought them even closer, something that didn't even seem possible before. Ianto saw the wariness in Jack's eyes slowly diminishing. He seemed lighter, more relaxed, happier. Ianto couldn't be more pleased about it, and they both dared think that maybe things would work out from then on. They felt like Gwen had their back, and it was enough to let go of the constant worry.

One Sunday morning, they were woken up by Jack's phone ringing. Jack rolled over to pick it up, and Ianto grumbled, hiding his head in the pillow. He kept one hand on Jack's back, so he immediately felt when Jack went completely rigid. Ianto got up instantly, and saw Jack's face go white. He didn't need Jack to tell him who was on the other side of the line. Ianto picked up the phone from Jack's hand, which was shaking violently, and quietly put it on speaker-phone.

"Oh, come on, Jackie, you're not even going to talk to me?" Ianto heard John Hart's voice coming from the phone. He felt shivers run down his spine, and he knew Jack wasn't exaggerating when he talked about how perverse he was. Not that he'd ever doubted Jack anyway. Ianto saw that Jack looked like he was about to go into shock, so he reached over to hold his hand, trying to ground him. "I went to all this trouble to track you down, and now you won't even let me hear your voice? I miss you, Jackie." There was a very short pause. "Oh, I know, maybe you're just too busy with that new boyfriend of yours. Leave it to you to find such a nice piece of eye candy. Ianto Jones. Nice, strong name." Both man shuddered, but Ianto tried really hard to control it. He didn't want to make Jack even more nervous. " You know I can't let him have you, Jackie. You'll always be mine and I don't like to share. You better get rid of him, or I might have to do it for you." There was a pause, while John's words hung over the both of them. Ianto was getting really freaked out by now, and Jack was completely unresponsive. Ianto was desperately trying to think of a way to end this call without provoking the sick man on the other end of the line, when John started talking again. "Tell you what, since you're not going to talk to me anyway. I'll finish sorting out the final details for my upcoming trip to Wales – I've heard it's a beautiful country – and I'll pay you a visit when I get there. I think it's going to be a little harder for you not to talk to me when we're face to face. You know how persuasive I can be. Oh, and you'd better be prepared to welcome me properly. You wouldn't want to disappoint me, now, would you?" Another short pause, and Jack suddenly reacted, quickly getting up from the bed. "Bye, Jackie. I'll see you soon." John disconnected the call.

Immediately afterwards, Ianto could hear Jack retching from the bathroom. He promptly followed Jack, finding him sitting on the bathroom floor, leaning towards the toilet, still dry-heaving, even though his stomach was completely empty now. Ianto sat down, pulling Jack towards him, whilst flushing the toilet. He held Jack tightly, rubbing circles on his back, kissing his hair, whispering soothing words in his ear.

"It's okay, Jack. I'm here. It's going to be okay," Ianto repeated, over and over, trying to exude a calmness he wasn't sure he was feeling . It took a very long time, but slowly Jack started to relax a bit in Ianto's arms. Or maybe it was just him sagging, defeated.

"He knows about you, Yan. He threatened you," Jack said so quietly Ianto barely heard him.

"It's okay, Jack. We'll figure it out. Let's call Gwen, and we'll figure something out together."

"You shouldn't be with me. You're going to be at risk if you stay with me."

Ianto pulled back and held Jack's face in his hands, looking straight into his eyes.

"Jack, I'm not going anywhere. I've told you before, and I'll say it again. You don't have to deal with this on your own any more. I'm staying with you, no matter what."

"I need you to be safe."

"I will be safe. And so will you. We've got help this time. We're going to end this, I promise you." Jack buried his face into Ianto's shoulder again, while Ianto kept his strong hold over Jack. They stayed there for a while longer.

"Why don't we go back to bed, and I'll call Gwen?"

"Okay. Just don't let me go, okay?"

"I won't, Jack. I won't."

"Okay, Gwen said she's going to recover the call, analyse it and get back to us," Ianto said while hanging up the phone. He was still holding Jack, who had his head on Ianto's chest. Ianto kissed the top of Jack's head, and stayed there for a while. "It's going to be okay, love," Ianto murmured into Jack's hair. "He won't get to us, I promise you. He's not going to hurt you anymore."

"You don't know that," Jack said, voice still a bit hoarse.

"We have help now, remember? Gwen is very competent at her job, and she's got her team to back her up now. He won't have the same power he had before." Ianto was holding Jack tightly, both arms around him now. "Also, he's severely mistaken about me. It would take a whole lot more to get me to back down. I can be very, very fierce when I'm protecting the people I love."

"You what?" Jack looked up, surprised , eyes red and swollen from crying.

"Me what what?" Ianto was suddenly confused.

"You... You love me?" Jack stared into Ianto's eyes, insecurity and doubt clouding his own.

"Of course I do, sweetheart. More than anything." Ianto smiled softly, stroking Jack's cheek, and placed a light kiss on Jack's forehead.

Jack looked completely dumbfounded. He kept staring at Ianto, as if trying to confirm he was actually there, saying those things.

"You're really not used to things like that, are you?" Ianto asked gently, cupping Jack's chin, keeping Jack's eyes on his. "I'll change that, I promise. Give me enough time, and you'll get so used to being loved that it will be like you never knew any different." He placed gentle kisses all over Jack's face, promising to himself that he would do everything he could to show Jack, every day, just how much he loved him, how much he cared.

They remained in the same position for what felt like hours. Ianto kept holding Jack, alternating between kissing his head, stroking his cheek, rubbing circles around his back. At some point, Jack dozed off, but Ianto never stopped his movements. He got lost in thoughts, pained by what he'd just realised. He knew how much John had hurt Jack, but for the first time it actually dawned on him that just getting rid of him wouldn't be enough. Jack was not only traumatised, but he'd also associated love to what John had done to him. He didn't know how to accept real love, let alone give it in return. Ianto was determined to help Jack change that. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Jack would need a lot of help, and not only from him, but probably even professional help. Whatever happened though, Ianto would be there, every step of the way. He knew that it might take a while until Jack became capable of accepting, feeling and showing true love, but Ianto didn't care. He'd wait as long as he had to. He'd never give up on Jack.

The phone rang a few hours later, pulling Ianto from his thoughts and waking Jack up. Ianto saw that it was Gwen calling, so he answered and put it on speaker-phone.

"Hi, Gwen."

"Hey, Ianto. Is Jack there?"

"Yeah, you're on speaker-phone."

"Oh, great. As far as I can tell, I have good news. For one, Hart's started giving us evidence that he is in fact harassing Jack. It will be useful to have this, if we ever have to do something official about it. At least now we have something to start working with. Secondly, I re-checked all my sources, plus all airlines. There doesn't appear to be any sign that Hart is coming here. Unless he's doing it under the radar, but I don't really think he is. Either way, I'll start keeping track of all flights. I'm going as big as I can with this, assuming he could be flying from anywhere to anywhere. Although I think if he does come, he'll make it easy for us. I don't believe he's got any idea that you have this much help now. He'll probably assume he's got as much pull as he had before. But he doesn't, not here. Even if we don't know how he found out about Ianto, that doesn't mean he's got eyes on you all the time. I doubt he does, he's not that important in that gang of his, not any more at least. He might have connections here who might help, but not enough to go too much out of their way for him. All in all, I'd say to both of you not to worry. We still have this under control."

"That's great news, Gwen," Ianto said. Jack was completely silent, not manifesting any kind of reaction the whole time Gwen was talking. "I have to ask, though, what happens if he does try to come here?"

"It will get a little more complicated, but we'll still have it under control. We don't have enough to stop him getting into the country. But considering we'll most likely know when he comes, we'll keep track of him at all times, and we'll assign a protective detail to both of you. In all honesty, all he's going to do is give us more evidence."

"Um, Gwen, what you're doing for us... that's not really in your job description, is it? You wouldn't be doing this if it were someone else, would you?"

"No, Ianto, I wouldn't. I couldn't, really. But you're a good bloke, and a friend. And Jack has suffered enough already. I've seen and heard of way too many cases of people getting the short end of the stick because my people didn't do their jobs properly. I'm not making that mistake. I would never forgive myself if something happened to either of you. I'm going as far as I possibly can with this."

"I... I don't even know what to say. Thank you," Ianto said as earnestly as he possibly could.

"That's more than enough, Ianto. I just want the both of you to be okay. I'll call you if anything new comes up. In the meantime, don't give this bastard any more of your time. Keep living your lives, and know that as far as I'm concerned, he won't get away with hurting you."

"Thank you, Gwen," Ianto repeated, since Jack still wasn't moving. "Enjoy the rest of your Sunday."

"You, too."

"See, Jack?" Ianto said as soon as he hung up. "It's all going to be okay. Gwen is taking care of us, and I'll take care of you. You'll be fine." Jack didn't move, and Ianto let him be. He knew he'd have to be patient, and he didn't have a problem with that.


	14. Chapter 14

As always, thanks for the reviews!

Extra special thanks to my beta **IceElf2008** for calling my attention to details that could have caused me some serious trouble and plot holes.

Enjoy the new chapter!

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Over the next week, Ianto paid close attention to Jack. It was clear that he was trying to look like nothing was bothering him, but Ianto could clearly see that it wasn't the case. The wariness was back in his eyes, he looked dejected – even if he tried to hide it, and Ianto often saw him looking sad and worried when he thought no one was looking. Ianto wanted to help, but he didn't really know how. Sometimes he thought that the best thing would be to pretend he didn't notice anything, so at least Jack would feel less weak. Not that Ianto agreed with him. As far as he was concerned, Jack had every reason to behave like he was, but as Jack didn't feel the same, he had to respect that, in order not to add to his feelings of inadequacy. But, after a week Ianto had had enough. He had to do something. First he called Gwen, and asked her to call him if she had any news. He'd like to be able to prepare Jack beforehand if anything bad happened. Then he prepared himself to have a good talk with Jack. On Friday night they were having dinner together, and Ianto thought that was as good a time as any to try and talk. He decided that playing along with Jack was the best approach.

"Jack?"

"Hm?"

"I know you're doing fine, but that doesn't change the fact that you're going through a lot right now. I can imagine that hearing from John wasn't easy, and the idea that he might come here, however slim, must be bothering you. I was just thinking..." He paused to take a breath, trying to find the courage to say what he wanted to say next.

"Yes...?"

"Don't you think it would be good if you talked to someone?"

"What do you mean? We talk."

"I mean a professional."

"Oh." Jack went completely rigid. "Why... Why do you say that? Like you said, I'm doing fine." He'd started avoiding Ianto's eyes by then.

"I know you are, love. But lots of people who've been through the same things you have found it helpful to talk to professionals. I just thought... I don't know... maybe it could help you... you know... start to put this behind you..." This wasn't really going how Ianto had planned. He'd wanted to sound confident and reassuring, but he was floundering.

"But I don't need anyone. You always say that I have you now and that you're going to help me. We're good together. I don't need anyone else's help."

"I just don't think I'm enough, Jack. Not for this. Of course I'll support you all the way, and I'll always be here for you, but... John hurt you, a lot. You don't have to carry all that inside you, on your own. I know we talk, but I think it could be really good to talk to a professional, too. It's not the same thing, you know? A professional will be able to help you in ways that I can't. Wouldn't it be nice to have someone who you can talk to freely? Someone who isn't your boyfriend?""

"But you are enough. I tell you everything. You give me everything I need."

_But you're _not_telling me everything...Fine, time to play dirty, then. _"Just try? For me?" Ianto looked at Jack with the best puppy-dog eyes he could muster. "We can call Dr. Harper, and he can refer you to someone who can help."

Jack sighed. He looked at Ianto, trying to think of something else to say.

"Please, Jack. Just humour me, okay? Give it a chance. If you go a few times and feel like it isn't helping you at all you can stop and I'll let it go."

Jack was defeated. "Fine, I'll go," he said finally. Then his expression turned flirtatious. "But I expect you to compensate me somehow."

Ianto laughed. "It's a deal."

Jack scheduled an appointment with Dr. Owen Harper the next Monday, and he referred him to a Dr. Martha Jones, psychiatrist and therapist. Jack was extremely sceptical about the whole thing. For one, he really thought he didn't need any help, and secondly, even if he did, it wouldn't be from a psychiatrist. But he had promised Ianto, so he'd go until Ianto was satisfied that he'd done enough.

After about a month of seeing her twice a week, he was proven wrong. Dr. Jones was excellent, and she was doing wonders for him. He'd immediately developed a profound trust in her, and felt as if he could trust her even if the world was ending. He felt completely at ease with her, and he could talk about everything. A part of him, the stubborn part, hated to admit that Ianto had been right, but the fact of the matter was, it was good to be able to talk _about _Ianto. How he felt that he was disappointing him, how he felt he couldn't really show Ianto how insecure and scared he was feeling (not that he knew any of that before he started, it was Dr. Jones who helped him realise that it was happening.) And it was so good to let it all out. Every time he left her office, he felt that a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It wasn't always easy, she knew how to provoke him as well, and make him think about things, but she also knew how to take it easy, and help him move at his own pace. All in all, he was truly glad Ianto had practically forced him to go, because things were actually getting better. He started feeling more relaxed, he felt more capable of dealing with John's threats, he and Ianto were getting closer again and he slowly started feeling like he could let Ianto know when things got hard for him. Things were good.

About five weeks after he'd started treatment, Ianto went to meet him at his house right after his appointment. Jack was cooking dinner for them, and he felt incredibly good about himself.

"Honey, I'm home," Ianto called jokingly from the door.

"Hey, Yan." Jack left the cooker to come towards Ianto, pulling him into a tight hug, and kissing him deeply. They pulled apart after a long moment.

"I missed you," Jack said softly.

"Jack, we were together two hours ago," Ianto said, chuckling.

"So? What if I don't like being away from you, even if it isn't for long?"

Ianto laughed. "I missed you, too, sweetheart." Ianto kissed Jack again, a soft but intimate kiss. "Hey, aren't you burning something?" Ianto said when they pulled apart.

"Oh, right." Jack rushed back to the cooker.

"So, how was your appointment with Dr Jones?" Ianto asked, following Jack into the kitchen.

"Great, as always. I feel like we're making really good progress. I'm very hopeful, it feels like I'll finally be able to get over all this – even if I never wanted to admit how much it was really bothering me in the first place."

"That's wonderful, Jack. I'm so happy for you," Ianto said, as his phone started ringing in the living room, where he'd left it. He went to get it, and Jack stayed in the kitchen minding the dinner, which was almost ready.

"Hello?"

"Ianto, it's Gwen."

"Oh, hi," Ianto replied. The tense note in her voice told him not to say her name.

"I'm afraid I have some really bad news."

"What happened?" Ianto asked looking over to the kitchen to see if Jack was paying any attention, and trying to keep his voice down.

"Hart is coming here." She paused, as if afraid to go on.

"Um... When?... How do you...?"

"Well, I was right about the fact that he would make it easy for us. He bought a plane ticket this afternoon. He didn't even bother using a fake name or anything, so the alert popped up immediately." Gwen paused again, waiting to see if Ianto was going to say anything. "He's scheduled to arrive next week."

"Oh." That's the only thing he could say. He was panicking, he had no idea how to react to this, and even worse, how Jack would react.

"We'll keep our original plan, okay?" Gwen said, trying to sound reassuring. "Whenever either of you leave your houses we'll have officers following you and we'll track his phone so we can know where he is 24/7."

"Okay." Ianto let out the breath he'd been holding since the beginning of the conversation. He was trying to calm down, not wanting to alarm Jack.

"Um... the officers that are going to be with us... how..."

"We should schedule for you to meet before Hart gets here, and then you two can give them your schedule. They'll be rotating, as much as possible, to make it harder for Hart to notice that you're under protection. I want you to meet the entire team beforehand. We'll also put cameras on the perimeter of both your houses, so we'll have eyes on the surrounding areas at all times. Other than that, you should go about your lives as if nothing's changed. Hart shouldn't know that you're protected, or even that he's affecting your routine. Don't give him that satisfaction."

"Okay... Okay." Ianto was still trying to wrap his head around it all. He still couldn't believe this was happening. He never thought John would actually go through with his threat. He truly believed John was just trying to scare Jack, keep him on his toes, under his control. "Um... I'll have to talk to Jack about this. I'll call you tomorrow to schedule the meeting, alright?"

"Yeah, sure." She paused again. "Ianto, I'm so sorry. But believe me, we'll make sure nothing happens to any of you. All we need is to keep him under surveillance long enough to prove that he's harassing Jack, get more evidence, and it will make it easier to get rid of him."

"Yeah, okay," he replied, only half paying attention. "Thanks, Gwen."

"Good night, Ianto."

"Good night, Gwen."

Ianto hung up the phone and just stood there. He was shocked, in panic, and trying to figure out how the hell he'd give Jack the bad news. He was breathing deeply, in and out, trying to calm himself down, trying to appear in control and reassuring, for Jack's sake.

"Iantoooo," Jack called in a sing-song voice from the kitchen. "Dinner's ready."

_Okay, just breathe. You can do it. For Jack, you can do it. _Ianto turned towards the kitchen.

"Who was it?" Jack asked when he heard Ianto approaching.

Ianto froze. Jack was so happy, so carefree, and he would have to destroy all that. He kept hoping that this was just a nightmare; that he'd wake up in Jack's arms, warm and comfortable, living the life of their dreams. Jack turned around when he didn't get a response from Ianto.

"Who was it, Yan-" Jack looked at Ianto and saw how scared and pale he looked. "Ianto, what is it?" So much for preparing Jack beforehand.

"Jack, I... I..." Ianto couldn't find his voice. He didn't have the courage to break Jack like that.

"What is it, Yan? Tell me, you're scaring me." Jack said, moving closer.

Ianto took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let the air out. "That... That was Gwen on the phone..." Ianto saw fear quickly pass through Jack's eyes. "Um... John... I'm sorry, but John is coming here." Ianto saw Jack go into shock. Again. His heart broke at the sight. He wanted to help, but now even he felt completely hopeless. He wasn't one to give up on anything, though. He'd try to be there for Jack, no matter what. He directed Jack towards a chair and helped him sit down. He sat beside him, keeping him close and told Jack everything Gwen had told him, as calmly and slowly as he could.

When he was done, he couldn't even be sure how much Jack had heard or understood. He hadn't moved the whole time Ianto was talking, eyes unfocused, as if he weren't really there.

"Jack?" Ianto tried to get his attention. "Jack, sweetheart, talk to me." Ianto stared at Jack for a long time, stroking his cheek, trying to get him to focus on him again. "Talk to me, Jack. I'm here for you. Just talk to me."

"Why..." Jack blinked, slowly starting to talk. "Why did Gwen call you and not me?"

"Because I asked her to. I wanted to be the one to talk to you if anything happened."

"Goddamn it, Ianto!" Jack yelled, getting up from the chair. Ianto jumped back, startled by the sudden reaction. "What the hell were you thinking?! Can't you trust me?! Do you think I'm a child who has to be mothered all the time?! I can take care of myself, you know." Jack was pacing around the kitchen, shouting.

"Jack, I..." Ianto was stunned. He had no idea what to say, he never expected Jack to react like that. "I didn't mean to..."

"No, you always have the best intentions," Jack said, voice full of sarcasm. "Perfect Ianto, always there, always helpful, treating me like I'm useless, worthless."

"Jack, no, that's not what I-"

"Oh, of course not! Because you always know what's best for me – you think _you're_ better than me!"

"Jack!" Ianto was completely exasperated. "You know I don't think any of that!" He'd tried getting up, too, tried getting closer to Jack, get Jack closer to him. "I love you, Jack, you know that."

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit." Jack turned around, and for a moment Ianto was afraid Jack might hit him, he seemed so angry. "That's only what you tell yourself, because it makes you feel better. It helps you feel like the perfect saint, come to Earth just to help poor, miserable Jack. He'd be completely defenceless if it weren't for you."

"Jack..." Ianto felt like he was being punched in the stomach. Repeatedly. He was trying really hard to swallow down the lump that was forming in his throat, to bite back the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Deep down he knew Jack didn't mean anything that he said, he was just lashing out because he was scared and he didn't know how to deal with it. But it all sounded so real, so hurtful. It was almost as if Jack was trying to...

"Jack..." Ianto started slowly. "Are you thinking that if you push me away I'll be safer?" he said softly. Jack was about to start another loud rant, and stopped short. He was just staring at Ianto. Ianto tried moving closer to Jack again. "You think that if we're not together, John won't try to get to me? Are you trying to protect me?" Jack was still staring, not moving, not even blinking. Ianto got closer, and dared put his arms around Jack, pulling him into a hug. Jack hesitated, trying to push Ianto back. Ianto just pulled him in closer and held him tighter. "I love you, Jack. I'm here for you."

Jack broke. He hugged Ianto back, and started sobbing, head buried into his shoulder.

"Oh, Jack," Ianto whispered in Jack's ear. "I don't care what happens, I'm not leaving you. You can yell at me all you want, I'm not letting you deal with this on your own."

"I'm sorry," Jack said between sobs. "I didn't-"

"I know, love, I know. It's okay." Ianto was holding Jack close, running one hand through his hair, in an attempt to comfort him.

"I can't lose you, Ianto," Jack whispered, barely audible through the hoarseness of his voice.

"You won't, Jack. We'll get through this. Everything will be okay."


	15. Chapter 15

I'm SO sorry it took me a while to post this. I wanted to rewrite this chapter and then life got in the way, both for me and my beta. But it's here now, and I hope you enjoy it.

Immense thanks to **IceElf2008** for her invaluable help.

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The idea was to do just as Gwen had told them – to keep living their lives as normal, and not give John the satisfaction of knowing how much he was affecting them, or even give him any clues that they even knew he was there.

Ianto tried to do that and he wanted to help Jack do the same, but he soon realised that it might not be possible. They went to work as usual – sometimes doing their own thing, sometimes seeing clients together. They had decided to keep the original arrangement because it had worked so well – even if he had said it would only be for a while. Ianto didn't mind, he loved it, actually. It really made him feel like he wasn't abandoning his initial career plans and even more importantly, he didn't feel like a failure. He felt like his parents could finally be proud of him.

This closeness ended up being their salvation. Ianto could see what was happening to Jack, and to try to fix it before it got too late. But there was little that he could do – Jack was crumbling before his eyes. All the reasons that had driven Ianto to work with him in the first place were back, but worse. Ianto frequently saw Jack fighting off a panic attack, trying to hide it from the clients, but Ianto never allowed Jack to let go. Finally, Ianto convinced Jack to talk to his boss, and they arranged for Jack to take some time off work.

Ianto to keep his routine and maintain all his lessons. The first night of this arrangement, though, when he went to Jack's house to stay with him, he realised that it would be impossible. Jack looked exhausted, terrified and about to break down at any moment. Ianto called Gwen and told her that he was going to cancel all his lessons until further notice and stay with Jack all the time. Gwen wasn't happy at all about this. She thought this might give John a clue that they knew he was coming, or even worse, realise that he still held power over Jack. But Ianto wouldn't budge. He understood what Gwen was saying, but he said that Jack's well being came first, and he wouldn't leave him alone. Jack needed support, and Ianto would be there for him. If that changed how John perceived things in any way, they'd just have to adapt.

John arrived the following day. As promised, Gwen's team had installed cameras around both Ianto's and Jack's houses (even if Ianto was staying with Jack) and they were tracking John's movements, via GPS or CCTV footage around town. She had someone watching the footage and tracking him, and also officers on stand-by at all times, ready to get into action if John attempted anything.

John went straight to a very shady hotel and left no more than five minutes later, headed straight for Jack's house. It was evening by then, around dinner time. John spent a long time hiding in the shadows, observing the silhouettes of the two men – the only thing he could make out behind the closed curtains – eating and then moving to what John assumed was the living room to watch TV. Gwen's personnel kept watch, but there was nothing they could do yet. Technically John wasn't bothering anyone by just standing on the street for hours.

After a few hours, John got tired of watching the two men and went back to his hotel. He felt the first surges of fury grow inside him, enraged that Jack seemed to be happy, in a healthy relationship with a man he'd been told was handsome, decent, and in his mate's words 'quite a catch'. He decided he'd just come back the next day and follow Jack when he went to work, so he could catch him alone. It didn't matter how wonderful Jack's 'boyfriend' was, he'd make their lives so miserable that this Ianto would certainly want to leave Jack, and then John would have him back.

He came back the next day and was surprised to notice that neither man left the house that morning. It was nearing noon and it didn't seem likely that would change any time soon. From the outside, all John could see was that they barely left each other's side. They looked cosy together and to John's eyes, sickeningly in love. His rage got even stronger. Were they really that close that they would stay together every second of the day? Of course he didn't know that he was the reason for that or that Jack needed constant support, because he was always close to having a nervous breakdown.

In fact, John really had no idea what was happening. He was flying blind now. He had someone in Cardiff who owed him a favour and happily followed Jack for a while until he learned enough about Ianto, but he'd made it clear that that was as far as he'd go. As soon as he had enough information, he told John that he'd paid his debt, and he wouldn't help him anymore. So now John had no idea what had happened to the couple in the almost two months it took him to finally come here.

He would've come sooner, but things back home weren't going well. He'd done some really bad things right after he called Jack the first time, and his 'gang' were more willing to mess with him than help him. He'd actually had to spend some time in hiding before he was able to move and fly here. One more reason for him to harass Jack again. He felt the need to assert his power over someone and Jack just seemed like the most obvious choice, considering how miserable and ruined he'd been when John left him. It would be nice for John to get Jack back and start a new life in Cardiff. He'd been sure that it would be a very easy task, Jack had always been putty in his hands. John did love him, after all – in his sick, perverse way. They could be happy together.

He kept coming back for the next few days and seeing that the situation never changed just made him angrier and angrier. How could he possibly mess with Jack if he couldn't get to him? He'd always hoped that he would see Jack face to face, force Jack to deal with him. After all, when he'd called, Jack never even talked to him. Why were they home all the time? Were they on holiday or something? Were they really this ridiculously in love that they didn't even bother travelling, they just wanted to spend all their time together?

Gwen was starting to get anxious. Okay, she had footage of John standing in front of Jack's house for hours, but he'd never done anything other than that. She knew she wouldn't be able to convince anyone to take any measures against him yet. She couldn't even prove that he was stalking Jack, John could have any number of reasons for being there and surely that's what any defence attorney would say. That's why she'd wanted them to keep their routine; that would easily have forced John's hand. She did understand Ianto, although it had to be said, she had no idea things with Jack were so bad. Of course she expected him to be traumatised, but not to this level. What John had done to him had probably been a lot worse than what Jack had let on when they first talked in the station.

But there was nothing she could do. She'd have to wait until John got tired and started messing up. The only problem was that her crew were getting tired, too. Because she was doing everything on her own, never having gotten the approval from her superiors to go ahead with the investigation, most of the officers working for her were doing this as overtime. At first they didn't mind, they were loyal to her, but loyalty only goes so far. They were getting frustrated and unfocused and Gwen started to think that it was quickly becoming a matter of waiting to see who would break first: John, her team, or even worse, Jack.

Then, a few days after John arrived, the first ray of hope shone through. Apparently, John was losing his patience and he rang Jack. Gwen's team were ready for that, and they listened to the whole conversation in real time. Gwen had instructed Jack that no matter what happened, he had to pick up the call and act as normal as possible. Of course she now knew that this would never happen, but they needed something to use against him.

Jack and Ianto were sitting in the sofa in the living room, watching TV. They had their backs to the window, so all anyone looking from the outside could see was Ianto leaning into Jack, his arm around his shoulders and Jack resting his head on Ianto's shoulder. They just looked like an adorable couple enjoying a show happily together. That meant that John never saw the look of horror that spread over Jack's face when he saw who was calling him.

"Hi, Jackie," John's silky voice flowed from the phone.

Just like last time, Jack froze and couldn't get a single word out. He knew he had to try to appear normal, but he was in shock again. Ianto tightened his grip around Jack's shoulder and was moving to take the phone from Jack's hand to put it on speaker-phone again, when he heard John's voice through the phone. It was almost pressed against his ear because of the way he was holding Jack.

"Don't you two look adorable together? All cuddled up watching the evening news." There was a pause, and a frustrated sigh could be heard. Of course John didn't know that the reason they weren't moving was because even Ianto was panicking now. "Does he know, Jackie? How fucked up you are? How long do you think it will take for him to see the real you, the useless, worthless, weak you, and leave you for someone better?"

Fury rose up Ianto's chest, and he almost said something, but he knew better than that and stayed quiet.

"You should know that no one will ever love you as I do. Cute eye-candy is just passing his time with you until he finds something better. Sure, he's all romantic now, but that can't last long. You'll come back to me, Jackie. I'll be right here, waiting until you do." And with that he hung up.

Jack and Ianto remained motionless for a long time. Ianto just leaned in closer to press soft kisses on Jack's cheek. They didn't know how long John would be there watching, and they could never give him the satisfaction of knowing that they were truly terrified.

At the station, Gwen was torn between relief and desperation. She finally had some evidence that John was harassing Jack, but she knew that it was probably not enough. What was really worrying her, though, was the last thing he said. That he'd wait. Deep inside, Gwen had always held the hope that even if all else failed, John would eventually give up and go back home. Now she wasn't so sure. She would have to try to get someone above her to pay some attention to the case, so she could protect her friends.

In that sense, John actually helped. Considering that this was his only option, he kept making phone calls every day. He'd always make them when he was in front of Jack's house, so he could keep telling them where they were and what they were doing, in hopes that eventually this would upset Ianto enough for him to leave. But all he was doing was making Gwen's job easier. The more he did, the more she had evidence of stalking and harassment. So she went to a judge to get what she needed to do to finally be able to provide Jack and Ianto with some relief.

She never expected what was coming. She was sure that as soon as she had proof, she would be able to at least get Jack a restraining order on John, which would hopefully help her friends get their lives back and, in time, even get him out of the country. She got neither. _"__What, this guy is afraid of a few phone calls?" _the judge had said. _"__I don't care how much of your time you've been wasting on this, Detective Cooper, but it's useless. I'm not about to provided protection to a coward sinner. As far as I'm concerned, he asked for trouble by ignoring the Lord's law. If he wants to lie with another man, he'd better be ready to face the consequences. Tell him to go fight his own battles."_

Gwen was crushed. She'd never expected that. She knew that people had a tendency to ignore victims of abuse, especially when they were male, but she really believed that having physical evidence would be enough. John was clearly harassing Jack, for Christ's sake. What more could she possibly do?

She knew she'd have to call Jack and Ianto to give them the bad news, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was seriously concerned about what it would do to Jack. Both men were at the end of their rope and she didn't think they would be able to take much more. She was sad, frustrated, disappointed with her own profession and honestly, she was lost. She had no idea what more she could do now.

So John kept calling, the situation between Jack and Ianto was getting worse and worse – Gwen knew that even Ianto was getting close to breaking point by now – and she was losing members of her team. One by one they were leaving her, saying that all this overtime was causing them problems and that they couldn't do it anymore. They were all stretched thin, and she knew something would have to give. She just prayed that she wouldn't be proved a liar when she'd promised Jack and Ianto that they would be okay.

One day, John spent the whole day inside his hotel. Even he was getting tired. He'd expected that something would have happened by now. He thought that Ianto would have already left, that he would have been able to talk to Jack. He'd considered many times just knocking on Jack's door and barging in, but Ianto being there made it a terrible option. He knew his presence would have a lot less effect on Jack with his 'loving boyfriend' there. He was getting incredibly pissed off and frustrated and decided he'd have to do something. He spent most of the day coming up with a plan, and after making a phone call, he rushed out of the hotel, an aggressive, murderous scowl on his face.

xXxXx

In the station, one of the few members of Gwen's team that had stayed was keeping watch of the feed coming from the cameras outside Jack's house and tracking John's phone. He was at the end of a twelve hour shift, and he could barely keep his eyes open. John hadn't moved, Jack's street had been practically empty all day and he was bored stupid. He didn't even notice when he reclined back on his chair and fell asleep.

xXxXx

Jack and Ianto were drained of all their strength. All the tension was getting to them. Jack was practically a zombie. He had dark rings around his eyes, he'd lost weight again, and he was barely even talking to Ianto. Ianto was deeply worried; he didn't know what else he could do. He was scared that at some point Jack would be so out of his mind that he might do something stupid. He practically forced a nearly motionless Jack to shower and get into bed, and he lay beside him, consumed by worry, until he finally fell into a deep sleep, spent with exhaustion.

xXxXx

It was the middle of the night, and a phone rang. There was a grumble and some movement, and a sleepy voice answered, making the shrill sound stop.

"Ianto?"

"Um... Yeah... Sorry, Gwen?"

"Yeah, it's me."

Ianto was awake in a second. A call in the middle of the night could only mean something bad. He looked next to him, and saw an empty, cold bed. He could see that the whole house was dark. He immediately panicked.

"Gwen, what happened?"


	16. Chapter 16

As always, thanks for the reviews on the last chapter - although I have to say I expected more, even if they were you all yelling at me for the way I ended it. =P

Thank you to **IceElf2008** for the beta job and the support.

**Warnings: Mention of violence (not graphic) and character death.**

* * *

In the few seconds that passed between Ianto hearing Gwen's voice and replying, a thousand different scenarios ran through his mind, each one worse than the next. Where was Jack? Would he really have left the house? Ianto knew Jack was going completely batty holed up in there for weeks, but would he put himself at risk like that? And if he had... Oh, God. He couldn't even think straight. He felt he was going to be sick at any moment and he found it hard to get the words out.

"Gwen, what happened?" he finally managed to get the words out past the huge lump that had formed in his throat.

It took Gwen a while to reply, she was utterly shocked. Of all the ways this could have ended, she had never expected something like this to happen.

"Ianto, he's... he's dead."

Ianto felt his whole world fall apart around him. This couldn't be happening. He was stunned, stupefied. He barely managed to say anything. "Wh-what?"

"Hart, he's..."

No, no, no, no! This wasn't supposed to happen. They were supposed to get over this, and everything would be fine. They were going to have a happy life together. They deserved that. Jack deserved that, not-

Gwen heard the sobs on the other end of the line, and that pulled her out of her shock. She belatedly realised she'd been misunderstood.

"No, Ianto, I'm sorry. Hart's dead."

Ianto was so shocked he barely heard what she was saying. It slowly started to register when he saw Jack appear in the doorway, returning from the living room to see why Ianto was crying. Ianto threw the phone on the bed and jumped up to hug Jack. He held him so tightly that Jack thought he might break something. Jack just held Ianto back, trying to think what could have happened to put him in such a state.

"Ianto, what's wrong?" he finally asked after a while.

Ianto pulled back, his whole face wet with tears. He looked at Jack for a while, still blinking, as if trying to make sure he was actually there. Then he remembered Gwen, and rushed back to get the phone.

"Ianto? Ianto, are you there?" Ianto could hear her asking.

"Sorry, Gwen, I was... Just tell me what happened."

"Well, he's dead. Hart's dead. My men found him about ten minutes ago."

"How?" Ianto still couldn't think straight. Nothing was making any sense.

"Apparently he got into a bar fight, and got the short end of the stick. He was beaten to death."

"What?"

"Well, first, I may have to apologise. We could have prevented this," she paused. "Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing," she finished under her breath.

"What do you mean?"

"We've been having problems for a while. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to worry, but my team had been reduced by a third of its original size. My men were working on fumes, and mistakes were bound to happen. One of them fell asleep tonight, when he was supposed to be watching both of you and John. He never caught the conversation between John and one of his mates. Apparently the one who'd found out about you in the first place."

"And...?" Ianto was getting nervous, he had to know what had happened. He still couldn't believe Gwen's words.

"About an hour ago we noticed the call. John was begging his mate to help him. He wanted to be able to talk to Jack alone, so he tried to convince the other man to call you with some sort of fake emergency to make you leave Jack's house. But the other man refused. He said he'd done enough already and he just wouldn't help him anymore, said John should deal with his own problems. John tried to plead, saying he thought you'd recognise his voice and he needed someone else, that it wouldn't cost him a thing, but his mate was adamant, and hung up on John. The staff at the hotel said they saw John leaving there just a few minutes after the call, raging mad.

"We found this mate's of his house and went there. Witnesses say that they saw a blond man knocking furiously at the door, not getting an answer and leaving a few minutes after, looking as if he could kill someone.

"Following cameras surrounding that area, we saw that he went to a nearby pub. The bartender remembered seeing John there. He said he downed shot after shot, cursing loudly to anyone who'd hear him, and trying to pick fights all around. Apparently, he finally managed to step on the wrong toes.

"We found his phone in an alley near the river, and his body a few hundred metres away, his arm caught up on the side of a boat. He'd been beaten into a pulp, almost unrecognisable. But the fingerprints match." Gwen paused. There was silence on the other end of the line, and she waited for Ianto to recover and say something.

"I don't even... I don't even know what to say..." He'd had the phone on speaker all the time and it was impossible to tell who locked more shocked, him or Jack. It was as if the penny refused to drop. They'd had been under the shadow of that man for so long now, and it all just seemed too good to be true. Not that it was good that someone was dead, but honestly, Ianto didn't think anyone would mourn for John.

"Well, Ianto, regardless of how it happened, it's over now. You're both free. I'd hoped we could solve this another way, but the fact is that you have nothing to worry about any more."

"Um, yeah... I know."

"I think you both need some time to digest this. Go get a good night's sleep, and it will all make more sense in the morning. I'll be here if you need anything."

"Okay. Thanks, Gwen. Good night."

"Good night, Ianto."

Ianto and Jack just stared at each other for a long time. Neither of them knew what to say, and were afraid to say anything and break the spell – to wake up from what might just have been a dream. Except that two people couldn't have the same dream.

"Did I... Did I really hear it right?" Jack finally said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is it really over?"

"I guess so, yeah."

Once more, Jack was in shock. He sat motionless, his eyes slightly unfocused. However, Ianto, who knew Jack inside out by now, could tell that it was a completely different kind of shock. He might have been still, but Ianto could see every muscle in Jack's body relaxing, probably for the first time in months. His eyes were unfocused, but every once in a while he'd let out a sigh, as if he was drawing all the hurt and fear out of his body. Ianto waited, letting Jack take his time, slowly allowing for everything to sink in. After a while, Jack slowly turned his head around, focusing on Ianto, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Does it make me a bad person that I'm actually happy that someone just died?" Jack said, staring into Ianto's eyes. "I do feel a little bit guilty."

"No, Jack, it doesn't make you a bad person. You're not the one who killed him. He practically killed himself. Everything bad that happened to him tonight, he brought it upon himself. He wouldn't even have been out drinking if he weren't mad about the fact that he couldn't harass you more than he already was," Ianto said, reaching for Jack's hand and entwining their fingers, rubbing his thumb on his palm. "You're not happy because he died, Jack. You're happy because you're finally free. Because no one will hurt you any more. God knows that after all you've been through, you deserve all the happiness you can get."

Jack lifted their joined hands, and kissed every one of Ianto's knuckles and fingers. Jack's eyes were full of warmth, fondness... love. "You're too good to me, Ianto."

"No, Jack, I-"

"No, let me say this. I need to." Jack squeezed Ianto's hand tighter and stared straight into his eyes. "You stood by me all this time. You were at risk, but you never once considered leaving my side. I made it pretty hard on you these past weeks, but you kept taking care of me, you kept making sure I felt as safe as possible. Even with everything that was happening, you still made me feel loved. More than that, you showed me what love really is. I had no idea. I'm a completely different person because of you. You saved me, in so many ways." Jack paused, searching Ianto's eyes, trying to find the right words. "I'm so sorry I was never able to tell you this before. I was so scared... Scared of John, of being hurt, of losing you... I love you, Ianto. I've loved you for a really long time."

"I know, Jack." Ianto said, gracing Jack with a soft, tender smile. "I've always known."

* * *

A/N: So this is the last chapter. Only the epilogue to go now. I hope you've all enjoyed the ride. If you have a spare moment, drop me a review to let me know what you thought.


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The wedding was a quiet affair, attended by only close friends and family. Jack's parents and brother came from the US, and John Smith accompanied them, happy to see Jack finally being able to move on with his life. Jack was more than pleased to see him, knowing that it had all started from his generosity giving him a chance to start over.

During the past two years, Jack had been able to get on good terms with his family again. Therapy and Ianto helped a lot, and he was able to talk to all of them again, forgive himself for abandoning them, and overcome the idea that he was a disappointment to them. They'd never thought that, but Jack had needed some time to be able to believe it – and to allow himself to feel their love and acceptance again.

Ianto had only invited his family and Tosh. There was no one else he'd wanted there. Ah, except for Dr. Harper. He wanted to thank him for the support he'd offered them, invaluable in helping Jack get over his problems, and the relationship they'd held over the years permitted them to interact as more than doctor-patient, meaning that he was there as a friend. Jack insisted that they break even more protocol and invited Dr. Jones. She'd been essential to Jack's recovery and they wanted to share this important milestone with her. Jack felt like nothing would ever be enough to really thank her for everything she'd done. She'd been paramount in helping him overcome all the hurt, trauma and damage John had caused, and he felt clearly that his and Ianto's relationship was moving more smoothly than ever because of her help. She'd helped him open up and truly accept Ianto's love and give back the love he felt for Ianto.

They'd also seen fit to invite Gwen and her husband, Rhys. They had a daughter by now, a sweet girl named Anwen. Gwen had been the only one to believe in them, and they wanted her there to witness what she'd helped happen.

Both Jack and Ianto were happy to see their family and friends getting along. Even if they'd always be separated by an ocean, it was nice to know that both sides approved of the union. Not that they wouldn't have gotten married if they hadn't, but it was a nice touch to have the blessing from all of them.

It was nearing the end of the party, and Jack and Ianto couldn't wait to leave and start their honeymoon. They'd thought that a nice trip around the UK would please them – well, mostly Ianto, but Jack would do anything for him – to see castles, and ruins, and get a chance to see all the history Ianto had studied up close. He'd been offered a permanent position in Jack's company right after the whole affair with John was over. Jack's boss, well, their boss now, had been so pleased with the work Jack and Ianto were doing together, which was not only guaranteeing the loyalty of the usual clients, but gaining them more, that he decided that losing Ianto was not a risk he intended to take. He'd offered Ianto a full time position with the 'condition' that he went back to Uni to finish his studies – financed by the company, obviously. The day Ianto got the news, he had been beside himself. He couldn't contain his excitement, and it took him three attempts to be able to give Jack the news in a way that was actually understandable. When Jack finally got it, he opened their most expensive bottle of wine, and they celebrated all evening (and late into night). Now, he was even considering going for his Master's and Ph.D., wondering if in the future he could become a professor after all. It didn't seem like such an impossible dream any more.

They moved in together not long after Ianto started work officially, but considering that now both their wages gave them some leeway, they decided to buy a new place together. The final arrangements had been made a little over a year before.

They were now sitting at a table in the corner of their garden, enjoying the simple pleasure of seeing all their loved ones having fun. They were holding hands, Jack's head on Ianto's shoulder, both of them too tired, full and plain satisfied to move. That didn't stop Ianto from noticing something happening across from them. He tapped Jack on the shoulder, and pointed to Tosh and Dr. Harper, who were having a very lively conversation, apparently enjoying themselves tremendously, not minding anything that was happening around them. Later Ianto found out through Tosh that they had a date for the following Friday.

"So tell me, Mr. Harkness-Jones, how do you feel now that it's all over?" Ianto asked Jack, who had resumed his position leaning on Ianto's shoulder.

"Why, Mr. Harkness-Jones, I can say that I'm delighted with how it all turned out." Jack lifted his head, so he could look at Ianto. "But who said it's over?" Jack had lifted his hand now, to stroke Ianto's chin, gazing lovingly into his eyes. "I have this feeling in my heart that the best days of our lives are all ahead of us."

"Do you now? And why is that?" Ianto asked with a playful smile on his face.

"Because I just married the man, nay, the person I love the most in this world, and I feel so lucky that the most amazing human being that ever existed agreed to spend the rest of his life with me. Honestly, I don't know what could be better than spending my life with him." Jack kissed Ianto softly, intending to keep it short, but both of them quickly lost themselves in the kiss, and it took them a long time to pull apart. When they did, all the playfulness had left Ianto's eyes, and his whole expression was filled with happiness and love.

"I love you, too, Jack." Ianto said unnecessarily, because his eyes already told Jack that. "And I couldn't agree more with you." He leaned in for another kiss, but stopped only a breath away from Jack's lips. "On second thought, I have to disagree with something. I think _I_ married the most amazing human being that ever existed."

Jack laughed and pulled Ianto closer to cover the final distance between them. "Shut up and kiss me, Ianto."

* * *

A/N: HUGE thanks to everyone who's favourited, followed, reviewed or even read until the end. You all have made me truly happy!

I hope you liked what you've read. If you have a minute, leave a review letting me know what you thought of the story as a whole. Remember, reviews are love and they make authors keep writing. ;) Also, today is my birthday and getting loads of reviews would be an AWESOME present. :P

I already have another story in mind, but I've barely started writing. As I did with this one, I'll only start posting when it's done (and beta'd this time). It might take a while, it might not. Who knows?

I hope I see some of you still here when I come back. :)

Thanks for reading!


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